The Truth Will Set You Free
by Chellie09
Summary: It's a secret that has been kept securely for millions of years: the existence of vampires. Bella finds herself torn between keeping the secret from her ever-wondering father, and coming clean on who she really is. ... -More Summary inside!
1. A Mothers' Intuition

**The Truth Will Set You Free**

_It's a secret that has been kept securely for millions of years: the existence of vampires. _

_Bella finds herself torn between keeping the secret from her ever-wondering father, and coming clean on who she really is. Charlie's not stupid; he is the Chief of Police after all. But how will she tell him, if given the chance? Will she be able to protect him from the Volturi if he does find out?_

_Bella has also been noticing slight differences in her shield, what could that mean? Does she have a new power that is just now forming? If so, what is it, and could it help protect for family, and her father?_

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**AN: Disclaimer: **I do not own. The great Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight! I just play with the characters!

Thank you Somah for being my beat and for sticking with me as I write what comes out of my head!

Kay, now here's a multiple chapter story for you all! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: 'A Mothers' Intuition'**

"Happy birthday, sweetheart!" I said as I leaned over my daughter's sleeping body and gave her a little kiss on her soft, pink cheek. Her tiny heart fluttering at my touch.

As I took in her sweet aroma, the memories of when she was born a year ago flooded my mind; most notably seeing my little nudger for the first time through my new vampire eyes.

She rolled over and looked up at me with those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, eyes she had inherited from me. With a huge smile on her face that can light up any room, she reached out her hand from under her blankets and lightly touched my face. I closed my eyes with her warm touch, as she showed me her pictured memories, she reminded me of the first time she saw me after she was born, and how she felt the very first time I held her when I came back from my first hunt.

When she let go of my face, I opened my eyes and gazed at her with as much love as a mother can possess. I couldn't help but smile at my daughter and laugh a little on the inside. She was so perfect and beautiful. And her gift was so unique and always a surprise to me.

"Good morning, momma!" she cried as she leapt into my arms and gave me a big bear hug. "Happy birthday to you too!"

"Thanks baby! Now, lets get you up and dresses. Your father is making you some breakfast!" Giving her a kiss on her forehead, I got up and headed into her oversized (and overstuffed) closet, courtesy of Alice.

In the kitchen, Edward was making scrambled eggs and hash browns. He was becoming a master at cooking.

As we walked in and sat down at the dining room table, he put the food on a plate and set it in front of Renesmee. Giving her a one-armed hug and a little kiss on the top of her head he said aloud, "Happy birthday, Nessie! I love you!"

"Thanks dad, I love you too!" she sang as she returned his hug and kissed his cheek.

When he sat down next to me, he leaned over and gave me a soft, passionate kiss and whispered, "Happy birthday, love!" From the corner of my eye I saw Renesmee watching us and then quickly look down at her food with embarrassment, as she shoved a fork full of hash browns into her mouth. I could hear Edward chuckle to himself, of course from something Renesmee was thinking.

I looked at him, curiosity plainly written all over my face, ready to ask what he just heard, but he quickly put a finger to my lips and said, "Later, love. Jacob's almost here."

As soon as he said this, I could smell Jacob's rusty, animal scent and could hear the rapid beating of his heart through the open windows of our cottage.

I got up and went to the door to let him inside. Opening the door before he could knock on it.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, surprised to see me in the doorway. Usually Edward is the first to answer the door. "Good morning, Bella! And happy birthday!"

With a wide grin on his face, he held up a single pink rose or me.

"Thank you, Jacob! But you really shouldn't have." I said, I could feel my face heat up as if it wanted to blush. I took the rose form his outstretched hand.

"Please, come in. There's actually some things we need to talk to you about."

Turning form the doorway, I led him into the dining room where Edward sat content in watching Renesmee eat her breakfast. He looked up at me and smiled as I put the rose up to my nose, allowing the sweet scent to tingle my senses.

Renesmee was just finishing her eggs when she caught sight of Jacob. I saw her face light up as Jacob entered the room and stood next to her, holding out a bouquet of a dozen red, thorn less roses for her, "Happy first birthday, Nessie!"

She took the roses and held them up to her face, blushing the same brilliant shade of red. "Thank you so much, Jacob! They are so beautiful!" she exclaimed as she jumped up into his arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Before she could do or say anymore, Edward got up out of his chair clearing his throat to interrupt, "Good morning, Jacob. You're just in time for some breakfast. Would you like something to eat?" I knew from the tone in his voice that he didn't approve of whatever Jacob was thinking, and I knew that it had something to do with Renesmee.

Jacob looked up from Renesmee to Edward and answered with a sly grin on his face, "Did you really have to ask? Of course, I would love some. I always love your cooking, Edward!"

With that, Edward went into the kitchen to get another plate of food. I followed with Renesmee's bouquet to put in into a vase, along with mine.

I've been practicing everyday, since the confrontation with the Volturi last December, to pull back my shield and to let Edward read my mind. I've actually managed to do it without having to touch him, and with less focus each time. I can actually do it now by just thinking about it.

Walking into the kitchen behind him I felt the elastic shield recoil and I knew my mind was free.

_What was that about, back there? _I thought.

Edward stopped in his tracks, I took him by surprise every time I did this. I couldn't help but smile at my bewildered husband.

He turned around to look at me, shock covering his face. "I know Jacob is in no hurry for Nessie to grow up, but she's still growing everyday." He confessed, "I keep getting mixed thoughts from him, whether he realizes he's thinking them or not. I can't tell what he's really thinking when he looks at her. It's the same with Nessie's thoughts too, she knows that her body and mind are aging faster, but she's still our baby. She's only a year old."

I walked the few steps between us and took his hand in mine, looking into his wonderful topaz eyes. I knew that my shield was still down, so I continued to talk to him through my thoughts. _I know that you are worried about her, but she is very smart for her age. She knows that she is still a baby, our baby. I can tell when I see them together, that those feeling that you are reading from them are only a part of the imprinting. Its natural. They know that they belong together, they were made for each other. Those feelings come from that. _I encouraged him as best I could. I could see my words sinking in as he thought them over.

Finally, after a few seconds, he spoke. "How do you know that that's what it is?" he questioned me, curiosity covering his entire face. I couldn't help but smile at him smugly, knowing something that he didn't know.

_I've been watching the way Quill and Claire are together, and I've been asking him questions about it too, out of curiosity. The way he looks at her and the way she responds to him in return, its nothing but the love between them growing stronger. Even though they're just at a friendship stage right now, that deeper love is still there. I see that same thing between Renesmee and Jacob. She's the size of an Elementary school student with the mind of a College graduate. Jake's not just her babysitter anymore, they are best friends. _I thought all this as I put the roses in a vase and filled Jacob's plate while Edward stood frozen, in the middle of the kitchen, lost deep in thought.

Since Quill joined Jacobs pack, he'd been around us a lot more. Every once in a while he would bring Claire with him because he can't stand to be away from he for too long, and so that she can play with Renesmee also. It has also been good for Renesmee to have a playmate that's roughly about the her same age, physically, only if it is for a short time.

_I guess, you could also call it a mothers' intuition about her daughter! _I thought as I turned and smiled at my bewildered husband, kissing him as I walked back into the kitchen with the plate in one hand and the vases of roses in the other, letting my shield snap snugly back into place.

_~End Chapter~_

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**AN: **So? What did you think of this first chapter? I'm curious to find out what you think!


	2. A NewTreaty

**AN:** Well, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

As per usual ... I do not own. Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight; I just have fun with the characters!

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**Chapter 2: 'A New Treaty'**

When Edward came back into the dining room a few seconds after me, Jacob looked up at him and grinned, his mouth full of hash browns.

"Thank you for breakfast, Edward! Its delicious!" Edward only responded with a half-hearted smile and a nod as he sat next to me again, still thinking about what I said.

"Now, what did you want to talk to me about?" Jacob asked between swallowing and stuffing another bite of eggs into his mouth.

"We wanted to talk to you about the treaty that was agreed upon seventy years ago, between your pack and our family. About how the events of this past year affects our old agreement." Edward started as Jacob continued eating. Renesmee sat next to him and listened patiently to everything that we were saying.

"We also wanted to talk about Charlie." I chimed in before Jacob could respond to Edward.

"About his relationship with Sue Clearwater, and how much he is going to find out about the werewolves and the pack, and especially about us."

After Jacob's little stunt last year in showing Charlie what he really was and telling him that his best fried, Billy, has known the truth about what was really going on all along. Charlie never wanted to hear any more about the werewolves involvement in Forks or with me.

Even after a year of being around me, and my family, Charlie is still on a need-to-know basis with us. He still knows nothing about the truth of me being a vampire. Even though being around Billy a lot, he's heard the 'superstitions' of the Quileute tribe. He's even started to guess, and make wrong assumptions as to what we are, just like I had in the beginning. But with each wrong guess, he was getting dangerously closer to the truth.

The number one rule of our kind, is to keep the secret that we actually exist. So for his safety, because he is human, he can't know anything about vampires.

I will always remember - even though it is a blurry human memory - when I first met Edward, and when I found out what he really was. I found out not because he told me - he was actually trying to keep me away from him for my safety, but I wouldn't listen - but because Jacob had told me about some "superstitions" that were actually real legends about the werewolves and who Edward and the Cullen's really were.

After I found out the truth, our love for each other was so strong that neither one of us could live without the other. But I soon found out that there were consequences for me -- for any human -- that knew the secret. When I went to Italy, into the heart of the Volturi, I was surrounded by vampires who thirsted for only human blood, and I did this to save Edward.

I met Aro, Caius and Marcus, the so called "royal family" of the vampire world. From that moment, they knew that I … a human … new the secret. Edward and the Cullen's had only two choices for me, either change me into a vampire, or kill me.

I grimaced at the fuzzy memory. All eyes were starring at me as I made a face that I knew was obviously not a happy one. Edward was holding my hand and looking at me with a questioningly.

"You know that it drives my crazy not being able to hear your thoughts all of the time." he said as he gave me a half-grin, trying to comfort me.

Both Jacob and Renesmee were concerned and had worried looks on their faces - probably wondering the same thing that Edward was. I put my head down to hide my face.

"I know." I said with my head still down. I didn't want to look into those faces of the ones that I loved so much, as I thought about all the danger I had gone through as a human, constantly putting my life in danger just to be with the vampire I couldn't live without.

When I finally looked up, after about a second of silence. I starred directly into Edwards wonderfully golden eyes, not daring to look anywhere else and knowing that Edward would fully understand my concern about Charlie's safety.

"I was just remembering my trip to Italy," I started to explain. "When I met Aro and Caius. How they wanted me to join them or die, just because I was human and I knew what you were." I knew that if I could cry, there would be tears streaming out of my eyes now. "I don't want that to happen to Charlie. But at the same time, I know that it will be easier for everyone if he knows the truth, or at least a little bit more about us." I was torn between telling him and keeping him on the need-to-know basis that he's on right now. "I hate having to lie to my father like this."

The only thing that Charlie knows about us is that Renesmee is really our daughter, and his biological granddaughter. He has learned to accept that she grows extremely fast and that she is very special, like her parents. Although putting a normal nine month pregnancy into three weeks is very confusing and even harder to explain, he doesn't ask questions.

"I know, love." Edward said. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss, wiping his thumb under my eyes as if he were really wiping away my tears.

"Bella, I know Charlie will be fine, no matter what he knows, or thinks he knows. Together," Jacob looked at Edward, "werewolves and vampires, we can keep him safe from _them_." he said this trying to reassure me. He made a disgusted face when he thought of the Volturi, it made me smile and laugh a little bit as I calmed down. I knew he was right.

"So, Jacob, about the treaty? Where do we stand on that if we are now fighting together?" Edward asked, now looking at Jacob. He was trying successfully to change the subject away from my father.

"As far as I see it, that old treaty no longer exists, and hasn't for the past year. When you came to me, the True Alpha, and asked my permission to change Bella or to kill you if she died, I granted that permission knowing that I couldn't stand not having her around either, no matter who she was." Jacob said pulling Renesmee in close to his side and looking at me. After a second, he turned back to Edward, "And since we have fought side by side twice now -- the first to save Bella and the second to save Nessie. I don't think that we are, or ever will be enemies again. Do you?" He asked with a smirk.

"Besides, we are pretty close to family know!" he added kissing the top of Renesmee's head. She was watching us and listening very closely, and patiently to what we were saying, though I wasn't sure if she understood it all.

"Yes, you have a point there." Edward said, ignoring the last comment. "That treaty was technically broken a year ago in order for Bella to be with us now. But what I'm wondering is, if Sam and the other council members of your tribe see this the same way as you do? Or do they still see us, my family especially, as monsters?" Edward was studying Jacob's face carefully while he asked his questions, reading his thoughts before speaking out loud, something that was probably for my benefit, knowing that I didn't like one-sided conversations.

"I know that the Elders have their own doubts about your family. But I will make sure that they know that the old treaty no longer exists. As far as the stipulations go for the treaty, as I am the True Alpha, I have the power to change them." Jacob explained, looking at both Edward and I, a wise look on his young face.

"I know for a fact, and from personal experience, that the Quileute's, and everyone else in Forks, have nothing to fear from your family. " Jacob continued, winking at me. Edward chuckled under his breath, probably from the mental picture that he was getting from Jacob right now. I knew he was talking about how I handled myself being around himself, Renesmee and especially Charlie for the first time after becoming a vampire.

"But that only goes for the Cullen's. I have no idea who your other friends are, nor do I trust them." he said that last part to Edward directly. I knew that he was talking about Tanya and her family, who live in Denali, Alaska. It was because of their sister, Irina, that the Volturi came after us and Renesmee last December. And also, they didn't come to our aid when Victoria tried to attack me with her newborn army when I was still human. That was when we formed an alliance with the pack in the first place.

"I am willing to allow you and the whole Cullen family onto La Push land, but not any other vampire." Jacob continued talking to Edward. I looked at Edward as Jacob said this, he was nodding in agreement with a serious look in his eyes.

"I completely understand your hatred for Tanya and her family, and I agree with you," Edward said finally, after a short pause that seemed to last forever. "We have to go and tell Carlisle about this. He will want to know." He got up from his chair and began taking the dishes into the kitchen.

"Does this mean that we can go visit you and Billy, and go to the beach, Jacob?" I asked curiously, knowing that Renesmee had never been to the beach. I had always wanted to take her, but we never could.

"Yes, Bella! That is exactly what it means!" Jacob answered laughing. He wasn't the only one laughing either. I could hear Edward in the kitchen as he washed the dishes.

"What are you talking about?" Renesmee finally spoke, looking between Jacob and I in complete confusion.

Jacob took Renesmee's hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Now you get to see where I live, and you get to see where your mom and I used to play when we were growing up!" he said with a smile on his face, glancing at me when he mentioned us growing up together. I knew that if I could blush, my face would be the same color as the roses that were on the table.

Renesmee was looking at both Jacob and I with astonishment. "Really?!" she exclaimed, "You and mom used to play together?" she asked Jacob.

"Only a couple of weeks during the summer, when I was here visiting Grandpa Charlie, but yes, we used to play on the beach and in Jacob's garage while our dad's went fishing together. That was a really long time ago, though." I explained, before Jacob could open his mouth to answer.

I was trying to remember those summers, but my human memories were too blurry now to be able to remember anything that far back with much clarity. Not to mention that even when I _was_ human, I had a hard time remembering those summers.

After the dishes were all done and put away. We all headed out to the big house where Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie lived. We needed to fill them in on this new agreement, even though I knew that Alice already saw this, and had probably already told everyone else.

And I knew that I still needed to talk to Jacob more about Charlie. But that subject could wait a little longer.

_~End Chapter~_

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**AN:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE let me know what you think! I really want to know!

I hate to do this, but I think I will wait to post the next chapter until I have at leat 5 reviews (I know, that's not much to ask. I'm being nice!)! So please, if you want more ... review!!!!! :P Thank you all so much! I do love my readers, I really do! :D


	3. Surprises

**Well, here ya go! Chapter 3! Enjoy!!! :D**

**I do not own. But we all know who does! These characters belong to the great Stephanie Meyer!  
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Chapter 3: 'Surprises'

When we reached the river, Edward suddenly froze.

"Charlie." That's all he had to say and I understood that my father was at the house waiting for us.

I could smell his blood in the air and hear his heartbeat, he was close. Looking around for him, I quickly spotted him watching us through the living room window.

Alice had informed me earlier that she was planning a surprise birthday party for Renesmee. But she never told me who she was inviting to this party, and was guarding her thoughts so that Edward wouldn't know either.

I certainly hadn't expected Charlie to be here, but I should've known better.

Edward waved at him and directed us along the river until we were out of view from that side of the house before we crossed over.

When it was finally clear to cross, we leapt over without hesitation and went to the front door of the house.

Edward froze again as we reached the door. He was confused about something but I couldn't guess what it was.

"What's wrong?" I questioned him.

"Alice." he growled.

"What did Alice do?" Jacob asked, following behind us with Renesmee in his arms. He was confused too.

"You'll see." Edward finally said as he grabbed my hand. I knew I wasn't going to like what was waiting for us inside. I sniffed the air to see if I could smell anything different. I could smell other humans in the house, along with a mixture of other scents that I couldn't place. _What was Alice thinking? _

Edward opened the door and led us inside and to the living room. When we entered the room, we all froze in shock.

"Surprise!" yelled everyone, popping out of every corner they could find to hide. This was more of a human show for Renesmee, to make it seem like a real surprise party for her, even though we all knew that she could smell everyone's scent when we walked in.

Taking a glance around the room, I saw Esme wrapped in Carlisle's arms standing by the kitchen door, both with amused grins on their faces; then I saw Rosalie and Emmett standing next to them with hopeful grins. Emmett was probably waiting to see what I would do next. They all knew that I didn't like surprises very much.

Then I saw Jasper and Alice in the farthest corner of the room. Alice looked a little nervous and Jasper was a little wary to find out what I would do. Alice knew she was going to be in trouble with me. But it was apparent on her face that she didn't know how much trouble she was in.

Sitting on the couch now, I saw Charlie sitting next to Sue and holding her hand. They both had really big smiles on their faces as they saw us enter the room. I could tell that they were very happy to see us! Next to the couch was Billy in his wheelchair, he looked extremely nervous about something, but he put on an obviously fake smile anyway.

I could feel that Jacob was standing behind me still, taking in the scene also. I knew he had nothing to do with this and that he was just as surprised as I was.

Sitting on the floor in front of the couch was Quill, with Claire in his lap. I gave her a quick little smile, and she returned one back to me. Embry, Seth and Leah also sat on the floor with Quill. Embry was always happy to be around his best friends, no matter where they were. Leah was the only one out of Jacob's pack that never liked to be here. I could tell that she was faking being happy for us. Even though her brother, Seth, has always been the 'social butterfly' out of the pack. He always loved to come over just to hang out with us. He was the only one, besides Jacob, who didn't care that we are vampires. Come to think of it, he has _never_ cared what we are. I smiled at that thought!

As I continued to gaze around at who all was here, I saw Siobhan, Liam and Maggie from the Irish coven. They were huddled in the corner by the door to the dining room, but they looked relaxed and happy to see us again. I remembered the last time I had seen them. It was last December when we asked them to witness for us against the Volturi. I was shocked to see them here again, now. Even more shocked, and worried about them being around Charlie and the other three humans that were sitting in the middle of the room. Remembering that they were not 'vegetarian' vampires like we were, I quickly glanced from them to Charlie and back again.

_Everything seemed to be … ok. _I thought to myself. _They don't look like they mind that there are four humans here. And Billy is the only one who looks nervous about them. _

I suddenly realized that this was the second time that Billy has been here; the first being at my wedding, and that was when I was human and surrounded mostly by humans. But now, this is quite the opposite.

_No wonder why he looks so nervous about being here. _

He has never fully accepted me since I had become a vampire, but he supported his son in finding his soul mate through my daughter, and in turn becoming part of our ever-growing family.

Billy has always hated vampires, even though he knows now that we are different and not like the vampires from their legends. When I was human and dating Edward, he was always warning me to stay way from the Cullens because of who they were.

_And now look at us, I'm glad I didn't listen to him then. _I sighed.

I moved on to the next couple, and realized that they were Benjamin and Tia, from the Egyptian coven. They, too, looked just as relaxed and even more happy to see us. This surprised me how calm everyone was with each other. I instantly thought of Jasper, but I haven't felt his calming wave yet. He seemed a little preoccupied with Alice's emotions and trying to gauge what I was going to do.

_Everyone is acting calm on their own! Maybe this can work out with Charlie knowing about us after all!_ I smiled to myself as this thought ran through my head.

Edward squeezed my hand and looked at me questioningly. He hates when I don't let him read my mind. I shook my head and mouthed "later" to him as I continued to gaze around the room.

Then I saw the Denali family, all five of them now. Tanya, with a big smile on her face, and Kate standing next to her with Garrett, her new mate, standing behind Kate, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. I could see Garrett's eyes, they had changed from the crimson color they were in December to a gold-red color, more gold than red. He was starting to become a vegetarian like them, accepting this new lifestyle to be with Kate and her family.

Standing next to them was Carmen and Eleazar. They, too, had big smiles on their faces. They all were very happy to see us, and to see how much Renesmee had grown and changed over the past ten months. I heard Jacob's rapid heartbeat behind me as it sped up in irritation, and felt heat rising from his already too hot body. I knew it was because of his obvious dislike of the Denali clan, and that they were here to celebrate with us. I quickly reached my free hand back and grabbed his burning hand to try and calm him with my icy touch, letting him know that everything was going to be fine. It seemed to work as his heart rate went back to its normal rapid pace.

"Sorry … thanks." he whispered in my ear as I let go.

Closer to where we stopped in the entranceway was Zafrina, Senna and Kachiri from the Amazon coven. Zafrina had been Renesmee's favorite in December. She loved to see Zafrina's "pretty pictures", and was always asking us in her own special way to go see her in the Amazon when everyone had left. I could see that they all were very happy also, to see us, and to see Renesmee again.

Renesmee jumped up and down, and ran up to Zafrina when she saw her. This whole surprise had made Renesmee's day, but I was still a little uneasy seeing these human-drinking vampires in the same room as my friends and family, and especially my father, Charlie.

But I felt a little bit of relief in seeing that neither side really cared that the other was here, except for Billy, of course.

Then I spotted two other people that I never expected to see again, Nahuel and Huilen. They must've come with Zafrina, because they stood behind them trying to blend in with the windows. But they too, despite the nervousness about being back here, looked happy to see us again. Especially to see Renesmee, how much she has changed and grown up. They looked like they had finally found a place where they belonged, with a family who cared for them. I felt good for Nahuel, knowing how hard his life had been for the past 150 years before he met us last December.

As I quickly gazed around the room, I smiled at everyone again. And with Edward by my side, I went to greet everyone. Jacob had gone to sit with Billy, probably to comfort him and reassure him that these were also the good-guy vampires, despite the red eyes. At least I hoped that was what he was doing.

Within minutes, Renesmee had made it all the way around the room and sat on the couch, playing with Charlie, Sue and Claire.

I couldn't help but notice how Renesmee regarded everyone in the same light. I had to smile at the innocent acceptance she granted to those around her.

_I hope it could be like this forever._

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**AN: So? What do you think? Please let me know! :D**

**Next chapter will be posted after 5 more reviews! (Really not much to ask, right?)**


	4. Memories

**AN: Hey everyone, sorry this took so long, I've been on vacation for the past month and unable to upload this chapter. So now that I'm home, here it is! I hope you enjoy! **

**Thank you to my beta Somah for all her hard work! **

**I do not own.**

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Chapter 4: 'Memories'

"Happy birthday to you too, Bella!" Zafrina exclaimed, walking up to us with her arms outstretched, ready to give me a hug. Edward and I were standing near the entrance way again, content in watching Renesmee mingle.

"It's really nice to see all of you again! My, has Nessie grown," she sighed, "I hardly recognized her!"

"Thank you, Zafrina!" I replied as I returned the hug. "It's really good to see you all again, too. What a surprise! But how can you be here … right now … with four humans sitting in the middle of the room?" I was naturally curious. _How was this possible?_

Zafrina laughed at my directness. "Alice sent us all invitations to this surprise birthday party for Renesmee … and also for you too. She also stressed in the invitation that there would be humans attending also; your family and friends. She made the point that if we could handle it … being around humans, then we were more than welcome to come and join the party. She also made us all promise to practice living like a vegetarian while we are here -- for the safety and well-being of your family and the people in town. We understand that you all have a reputation to uphold with this town, and we accept that. So … we all agreed with the conditions, and here we are!"

I was astounded. All of my worrying about Charlie's safety, and for Sue, Billy and Claire were just that … worries.

"Thank you again, for being here!" I repeated, smiling at her as I reached up to give her another hug. "You really have been missed."

I looked toward Edward when we broke apart again, he seemed to be relaxed too. I knew that he was scanning everyone's thoughts, making sure that it was truly safe and to check Zafrina's story with the other vampire's thoughts. I gave him a little smile and he returned it with a kiss to my forehead.

"Everything is fine, Bella. Stop worrying." he whispered in my ear so that only I could hear him.

Then I remembered something that Zafrina had said. "Zafrina?" I asked as she turned to walk back to her coven. "How long are you planning on being here if you need to practice living like one of us?"

"As long as we are welcome here, Bella!" She smiled at me.

"And you're sure that you can live off of animals for a while?" I asked, curiosity peeking again.

"It's a bit different, I'll admit. But we will definitely do our best. Plus, Garrett seems to have done well with the change," she replied. "Don't worry about us, Bella. Everything will be fine, we can handle it." She gave us one more smile and touched my arm, then went to join the rest of the party.

As Alice and Jasper slowly walked up to us, they followed Edward and I into the foyer just off of the living room. I wanted to have a more private conversation with my sister, at least out of earshot of Charlie.

"Bella? Are you OK now?" Alice asked tentatively when we stopped -- she was a little wary of me still, not knowing how I would react to the surprise. "Jasper was getting a little antsy when you walked in and suddenly stopped. You all stood there for a while before moving. Neither of us could tell what you were going to do."

"I'm fine now, Alice." I gave her a half-smile. She calmed down a bit. "I was just surprised to see everyone here. And Charlie, Alice, in the same room as vampires who live to kill humans. I was worried and scared for him." The same worry was resurfacing again as I spoke. "How could you do this to me, Alice? I knew about the party, yes, and thank you for telling me. But you should've told me who was on the guest list."

"I'm sorry, Bella. But I knew you would say no, so I didn't tell you. Besides, this is as much your surprise party and it is for Renesmee! In a way, you are both turning a year old today, so I wanted to make it a vampire celebration as well as a human one!" she was beaming at herself, proud for coming up with this crazy idea.

I couldn't argue with her, she had a point. "Yeah, you're right. I would've said no, because this would put Charlie's life in jeopardy, along with Sue, Billy and Claire too. And with the fact that Charlie is the only one who doesn't have any idea that he's surrounded by vampires, half of whom would kill him instantly if anything went wrong. Did you ever think about that, Alice?" My mood was constantly changing from composed to irritation then back again.

I looked at Jasper, he was focused on my face. I could tell that he was going crazy trying to figure out how to handle me. Edward was right beside me with his arm loosely around my waist, letting me know that he was there.

"Yes, I did think about that, Bella." She was starting to get defensive. "And I can see that nothing is going to happen."

"You can _see_ it?" I challenged. "With a pack of werewolves and Renesmee in the room, you can still _see_ it?" She wasn't helping her case, or my temper.

"Well, no. But I made sure that they would be completely safe when I invited everyone." she replied. "Believe me, Bella. I took every precaution that was needed to get everyone here and in the same room safely."

Suddenly the memory of my 18th birthday, my last human birthday, ran through my head. My body tensed. Edward wrapped his arm tighter around me. I could feel Jasper now, trying desperately to keep me calm and under control, sensing my sudden agitation.

I quickly glanced out the door into the living room, no one noticed that we were missing yet. But I knew that every vampire in the house could hear our conversation.

"You made sure that everyone is going to be safe, huh?" I questioned dryly. They were all confused by my sudden change in tone. "Have you forgotten what happened two years ago, Alice, at my last human birthday party, the one that you planned for me?"

Shock ran through all three of their faces. Edward loosened his hold on me a little bit and closed his eyes in pain as he remembered. This memory was the hardest on him because it was the main reason why he left me then. Both Jasper and Alice looked away from me, ashamed at the memory.

"It took only a paper cut, Alice," I continued reminding her. "A _paper cut._ And there were only _vegetarian_ vampires in the house at the time. But it didn't matter, did it? You all still wanted my blood." I knew that I had cut deep into their souls, and was cutting deeper as I continued. But I wanted her to understand why I would've said "no". Not just to Charlie being here, I know that he is safe alone with us; but no to our other vampire friends being here like this, together.

"I'm really sorry about that, Bella." Alice cried with a voice that should've come with tears streaming down her face as Jasper put his arm around his wife. "I had no idea that that would happen then." I knew my words had hurt her. I felt a little ashamed at my overreaction, but they had done what they were intended for.

"Bella," Jasper finally spoke as he still held on to Alice. I felt him try to calm me again. "Not all of the family wanted your blood that night. It was just me. Everyone else was under control and focused on trying to keep _me_ away from you. I was the only one completely out of control. I could feel that. I'm so sorry about what happened, Bella, and for what followed. Please forgive me. And know that if I could go back and redo what was done, I would in a heartbeat." He was looking directly into my eyes as he said this, still trying to calm me. I could see that he was telling the truth.

I welcomed his wave of calm as I replied. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have brought that up again. And yes, Jasper, I do forgive you still. I forgave you that night as Carlisle was stitching up my arm. I know you couldn't help your reaction to my blood. That was the reason that you always stayed so far away from me."

They all nodded as I said this. Edward tightened his hold on my waist and lovingly kissed my temple, holding his face to mine.

"But I wanted you to see now, that with humans, anything can happen. And with vampires like this around, that 'anything' could be deadly." I said, regaining my strength, easily pushing away Jasper's calming wave, replacing it with my own sense of calm.

"I do see that now, Bella." Alice replied, regaining her own composure. "But we will all be there to protect them if that 'anything' does happen. We can all handle it better now, Bella. Trust me on that. We were all there for you last year while you were pregnant with Nessie and drinking that donated human blood. I know we can handle that again now, too." Now it was her turn to remind me of something. Just the memory, blurry as most human memories are, brought back that burning sensation in my throat trying to tell me I needed to hunt again. I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind, like I was so good at doing, and regained control before Edward and Jasper noticed my slight distraction.

"You're right, Alice." I agreed, a little defeated with her comeback. ""I should've remembered that part, but the whole pregnancy is still really fuzzy for me. It is a human memory after all, and it went by so fast. I know that's a really poor excuse, considering that I can easily remember every life threatening thing that happened to me around here while I was human. But it's the only thing I've got." I gave another half-smile and laughed at myself for how silly I probably sounded.

"You're right, that's not much of an excuse, love." Edward laughed with me. He kissed the top of my head. I could tell that they all relaxed some. "But you are forgiven for overreacting to this."

"Thanks." I replied, looking down at my feet, a little embarrassed at myself. I knew I was overreacting a lot. "And thanks, Alice, for being so thoughtful. It really is a nice party!" I looked up at her and smiled.

She reached out and threw her arms around me tightly. Without letting me go, she cried, "I love you, sis! So very much! Overreactions and all!" she teased.

I hugged her back. "I love you too, Alice. You really are the best sister in the world. Annoyingly the best!" I teased back.

We all laughed as we pulled apart.

"Umm … Bella?" Jasper spoke suddenly, his eyes still curious.

"Yes, Jasper?"

"How is it that I can't keep you calm like everyone else? You keep breaking out of it every time I try." he stated.

"I don't know, Jasper." That was a really good question. "I never thought about why I do that before, or how. I think its because I don't want to be controlled. I would rather feel things for myself than to have them covered up. Remember when we were in Phoenix, and I was worrying too much about what James really wanted to do to me, and to all of you. When you were trying to get me to go to sleep? I didn't want to because I wanted to think for myself about everything, and to breakdown and go to pieces on my own. Does that make any sense? It's like you're putting a band aid on an old wound that needs to heal on its own without help." That was the best explanation I could come up with, and the first things that came to mind.

"Yea, I guess so." Jasper replied, I could tell he was still confused though. "It's just really annoying. I've never been pushed away like that before with anyone else. It's almost like how your mind is the only one that Edward can't read. I feel it whenever he gets annoyed by that."

He had a point, that was very interesting. _I wonder how that could be? Did my shield have something to do with me pushing away Jasper's ability?_ _We always thought it was my super-self control, but could it be more than that? _I thought to myself as we walked back into the living room.

_**~End Chapter~**_

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**AN: So what do you think? Please let me know! 5 reviews, and I promise I will update with the next one sooner this time! :D  
**


	5. Powers

**AN:** Well, here's a little treat for you all - and early update! :D

I really hope you all like this one! Enjoy!

Thank you Somah for beta-ing for me! I really appreciate it!

As usual, I do not own.

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Chapter 5: 'Powers'

"Who's ready for cake?" Announced Esme as she and Carlisle carried a huge cake from the kitchen to the dining room. Either one of them could have carried it by themselves, but they were obviously trying to keep up with the human pretenses.

Little snickers and giggles erupted around me from the other vampires here, and I couldn't help but giggle at the sight myself.

Everyone followed Renesmee and I into the dining room as they set the cake down at the head of the table. Renesmee climbed into the chair and I stood behind her with Edward next to me.

Esme carefully lit the one-shaped candle as they all joined in on a chorus of "Happy Birthday".

Renesmee turned and looked up at me, curious; she didn't know what to do next.

"Make a wish and blow out the candle, Nessie!" Edward encouraged her. I smiled.

She took in a little breathe and blew -- the tiny flame went out. She giggled in amusement as everyone clapped for her.

As Esme cut up the cake and served it for all of the humans, Edward and I went back to the living room with some of the other vampires. A few of them stayed behind to watch Renesmee enjoy her cake, while others migrated outside for some fresh air and to visit.

"Eleazar," Edward suddenly spoke as we all sat on the couches. "Do you mind if we talk to you about something?" I shot him a questioning look as Eleazar sat down next to us.

"What can I help you with, Edward?" Eleazar answered.

"I wanted to talk to you about Bella's shield." Edward stated, looking at me then turning back to Eleazar.

"Oh?" Eleazar looked at us both, confused. "What about it? You already know that I can't sense anything more from her because of it."

"I know that, Eleazar," Edward said. "At least not while she has it up anyway. We've been practicing pulling the shield back. She's done very well with it, too." Edward added grabbing my hand and squeezing it lovingly. "She pulls it back easily now when she wants to talk to me privately."

"Oh, wow, Bella! Really?" Zafrina interjected, surprised. She had helped me before they left last December, to see if I would be able to do it, since I could project my shield too.

"Yea, I can." I said, a little embarrassed at the audience this conversation was suddenly garnering. Everyone was now distracted from their own conversations. Both Zafrina and Kate were now listening to us on the couches - they had been the ones who helped me the most in projecting. Garrett, Carlisle, Jasper, Alice and Emmett were now listening intently, most of them were surprised by this new information about my shield -- I had been successful in keeping it a secret, till now.

"We were wondering - or rather I was wondering - if you would be able to sense anything form her now, if she pulls back the shield?" Edward continued.

"You've said before, when you told us that she was a shield, that she could possibly have a rather powerful latent talent. Due to the fact that she was able to shield as a human without realizing what she was doing." Edward added, looking at me lovingly, before turning back to Eleazar.

"Well, we could give it a shot, I suppose." Eleazar answered slowly, turning to me. "How long are you able to hold it back, Bella?"

"I don't really know," I stated flatly. "I normally only keep it down for as long as I want to talk to Edward privately, then I put it back up again when I'm done."

"OK, that's fine. This might take a little bit though," Eleazar replied. "I don't know if I will be able to sense anything right away, or if I have to search for something. That is, if there is anything there to look for."

"I'm ready." I volunteered. I grabbed Edward's hand fro support; he squeezed back and smiled my favorite crooked smile that reached his eyes, telling me to go ahead.

I closed my eyes and concentrated a little bit. I felt the elastic pull back and I knew that my mind was free and unprotected. I opened my eyes again and looked at Edward.

_I love you._ I thought. _I hope this works._

He looked a little shocked, he wasn't expecting that. Realizing that it was my thoughts he was hearing, he quickly changed his expression to relief and smiled back at me.

"I love you too, my love," Edward replied, giving me a kiss on my forehead. "Don't worry about anything. This is going to work, you will be fine."

"Was that you, Bella?" Garrett asked, surprised. "Did you just say something to him?"

I couldn't help but smile at everyone, laughing at their reactions.

"That was fast!" Zafrina exclaimed. "You didn't have to concentrate very hard at all. Good job, Bella!"

Alice just smiled at me; she knew I could do it already, but I made her promise to keep it to herself - our little secret.

Jasper sent a wave of mixed emotions to me. I looked back at him and growled softly, as he smiled an evil smile at me. He was going to enjoy this while he could.

"That's enough, Jasper," Edward laughed. "She needs to concentrate on keeping it down now." Edward added, coming to my defense. Jasper promptly let go of the emotional rollercoaster that he was putting me through.

When we turned back to Eleazar, he had a look of disbelief on his face as he concentrated on me.

"Unbelievable," Eleazar exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like this before." He shook his head.

"What is it? What can you sense?" I asked confused and worried by his reactions.

"There's something different I'm sensing about your shield. Like it's changing, taking on a different form," Eleazar replied.

"What? How?" I knew there was something different about me throughout this past year, because every time that Jasper would try to use his ability on me, it got easier to push him away. _How can my shield be changing? I didn't know that was possible._ I looked in bewilderment from Eleazar to Edward.

Edward looked just as confused as Eleazar and I did. He was silent as he sat next to me, holding me, his face blank as he tried to focus on what Eleazar was sensing.

"I'm not sure, Bella," Eleazar replied. "But it looks as though you not only can protect minds with your shield, but you have several other powers that can be used under your shield as well … more than I've ever seen in any other vampire before."

"What do you mean 'other powers', Eleazar?" Carlisle interjected.

"I'm not sure how to explain this correctly," Eleazar stated. "I've never found anyone with more than one ability, and if I did, it was very rare and they only had one other. But Bella … I'm seeing more than that, possibly three or four different forms - all of which I have seen before in others."

"Wait … what do you mean by 'different forms'?" I was even more confused now.

"I mean that you can … sort of … _incapacitate_ anyone who is under your shield in different ways." Eleazar answered. He was trying to find the right words.

"_Incapacitate_." I repeated slowly, my mind was trying to wrap itself around the word. "What does that mean? What kinds of ways?" I was starting to get really nervous about using my shield again. _I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone that I love._

"Your protection shield will always be your main shield, love." Edward finally spoke, holding me closer to him, trying to comfort me. "You don't need to worry about anything."

I felt Jasper calm my nerves as Edward spoke to me. Jasper moved to stand behind us now and put a hand on my shoulder, focusing most of his ability on me. I looked up at them both and gave them a weak smile.

_I'm fine._

"It's as if you are a double threat now, Bella." Eleazar continued, still baffled by what he was sensing from me. "I've never seen this happen before. You can protect your friends and family - the same as you did in December - but you can also use your shield against your enemies, torturing them. It's completely your choice what you want to do."

"But how? I don't understand. How can there be different ways to do it?" I was still confused. _Why me? Protect _and_ torture … what if I can't control it and I hurt the wrong person?_

"Bella, love," Edward said, breaking me out of my thoughts and facing me on the couch, holding onto my hands and looking into my eyes. "Please understand me. You are not dangerous to us - _any_ of us, unless you choose to be. You can control this, I know you can."

_I understand. I can control this -- what ever it is._ I nodded, taking a deep, calming breathe and turning back to Eleazar, giving him my full attention as he continued. Jasper let go of my shoulder and took a step back, keeping close just in case I needed him again.

"All of these forms of torture are similar to ones that we have all witnessed before in other vampires." Eleazar explained. "One of which is exactly like what Jane can do. It is pure torture of the mind. Another one," he turned toward Zafrina. "Is just like yours, Zafrina. You can blind your enemy or make them see what you want them to see, in order to stop them from going anywhere." He said, turning back to me.

"And the third," Eleazar continued. "Is similar to Chelsea's ability. You can break the emotional ties between your enemies … make them turn against each other instead of fighting with you." He was now pacing in front of us as he spoke about Chelsea's power. I knew that he was remembering the time he spent with the Volturi and how they fought with other covens and won so easily, because of Chelsea's ability. That was the part he hated the most, and never understood her significance, until it was too late.

I was right.

Edward tightened his hold on my hand as he heard my thoughts.

"But you said that you could sense a possible forth … a form of … torture." I added, trying to break Eleazar out of the memory of Chelsea and the Volturi. "What is that one?"

"I'm not quite sure." Eleazar said as he stopped pacing and looked at me again. "I think its like Alec's ability, but not as slow to work. This one is instant, like the others. I think it's something like sensory deprivation. It can take away the enemy's senses, make them useless and completely vulnerable."

"Wow. …" I didn't know what else to say. "I can do all of that? They are all really powerful abilities. How does it work? Do they all happen at the same time, to everyone that I'm shielding? I don't understand." I was getting even more uncomfortable about my new power than I was before.

So many questions ran through my head at once. Edward squeezed my hand to distract me, I was thinking too much, and too fast for him to keep up.

_I'm sorry, Edward._

I had momentarily forgotten that my shield was still down and that my mind was open to him.

Another wave of calm hit me from Jasper. I welcomed it again without complaint, glancing up at him with a thankful smile.

"It will probably take a while to completely master how to use them, of course. From what I'm sensing though, you have the choice which one to use, and on who you choose." Eleazar clarified.

That made me feel a little better about my new abilities.

"Just out of curiosity," Eleazar questioned. "When your shield is projected, are you connected in any way with whoever you are shielding?"

"Yes, I am." I answered. "I can feel - almost taste - everyone and where they are in my shield. Like a light is shining around them, and I know who they are - like different flavors of light. Why do you ask?"

"That's very interesting." Eleazar stated thoughtfully. "That would explain how you can use all of these abilities at once - but on whom ever you choose. Yes, very interesting indeed."

"It's OK, love." Edward said in a warm, loving voice. " I will help you practice with it. I'm sure we all will." He added, looking at everyone in the room. "You can do this, don't worry."

"Yeah, Bella!" Garrett spoke up. "Just remind me never to get on your bad side." He joked, giving me a little wink.

"Guinea pig number one right here whenever you're ready! Just give me a call anytime you want to practice." He added, raising his hand in the air slightly - like a school boy waiting to be picked on by the teacher.

Kate gave him a little electric jab in his side, trying to tell him to shut up. He flinched at the touch, then laughed it off.

He was always up to try something new. In December, when they met, he challenged Kate's ability - not believing that she could put a vampire flat on his back.

I laughed at the memory. Edward started laughing with me also. He was seeing it with me as I replayed the scene in my mind.

"There is one other thing I am sensing about your shield, Bella." Eleazar interjected in a curious tone, as he continued to pace the room. Not fazed in his thoughts by our little conversation.

"There's more?" Asked Emmett, he had been silently listening to what Eleazar had to say. He was just as shocked as I was by this new revelation. "How can there be more? I thought that it was very rare even to have one ability, let alone two. Now your saying that there's a _third_?" He was shaking his head in disbelief at his own words.

"Wow, little sis." Emmett added, smirking at me. "Garrett was right. Remind us never to get on your bad side." He joked half-heartedly, not believing what he was saying or hearing. I returned a smug smile back to him.

"What is it, Eleazar?" Carlisle asked, equally curious.

"Well, everything has to do with your shield, Bella." Eleazar continued explaining to me, still pacing the room, deep in thought. Edward stayed quiet next to me.

"I think this explains why you can push Jasper's ability away so easily." Eleazar stopped pacing as he continued, looking from me to Jasper, then back at me. He had heard our conversation from earlier. "Your shield is becoming more defined than before; it can also become like a brink wall of sorts -- keeping anything and everything, including Jasper, out."

"Similar to Renata?" Edward interjected suddenly. "She can block anyone who is coming at her, and whoever she's protecting, turning them away."

"Yes, I suppose so." Eleazar agreed with a puzzled look on his face. "But not the same. With Renata's shield, once you hit it, you turn away not remembering why you were going that way in the first place. With Bella … once you hit it, that's it. You can not go any further. You just stop there, watching what's going on inside the shield, if anything. Completely helpless to anyone on the inside….

"And I'm sure that the same goes for whoever in on the inside, too. They can't escape once inside." Eleazar added after a few seconds of thoughtful silence, as he continued pacing the room again.

"Almost like her own personal torture chamber?" Garrett asked, shooting a worried look at me. He really didn't want to get on my bad side now.

I laughed as I looked from him to Jasper, then to Emmett, daring them to challenge me. Edward squeezed my hand again with a low, dark laugh as he saw what I had in mind to do to them.

Alice laughed with us then. I could tell that she could see me torturing the boys because they were stupid enough to challenge me.

Edward nodded at me and squeezed my hand again at my assumption. "You're right, love," He whispered in my ear. "But don't worry, you won't hurt them, at least not too bad."

"Yes, just like a torture chamber of sorts." Continued Eleazar, lost in his own train of thoughts, calling us all back to the present. "No one can get in, or out, once your shield is a brink wall. And again, I believe that you have the choice whether or not you want to use it." He added, stopping his pacing and looking at me again. "It's like you shield is now a three-in-one: protection, torture and brick wall. I've never seen anything like you before." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh … by the way," Eleazar asked after a moment, as I finally let my shield snap comfortably back into place. He was still puzzled by something. I nodded for him to continue.

"Just out of curiosity … how strong are you?"

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**AN: **So? What do you think? Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated! 5 more, and I will update again! :D


	6. Rematch

**AN: **Yay, chapter 6! It's a really fun one! :D I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter!

I promise, the more reviews I get, the faster I update! :D

Thank you to my beta, Somah! You are awesome! (If you haven't read her stories yet, go read them too!)

I do not own.

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Chapter 6: 'Rematch'

Edward and I looked at each other with playful smiles on our faces. This was an unexpected question, but it could be fun!

"Stronger than Emmett!" I let Edward answer, we both looked back at Eleazar's shocked face. He wasn't expecting that answer.

I turned to look at everyone else's faces. Disbelief was present on all of them.

Emmett was surprisingly quiet, but I could tell that he had gotten riled by Edward's proclamation. He looked to be both smug at the fact that no one believed me to be stronger than him, and angry that now he was going to have to prove it.

I smiled to myself at the thought of beating Emmett in front of all of our friends. The smile showed on my face and Emmett saw it, he was scowling at me.

"Stronger than Emmett? Is that even possible?" Eleazar asked, everyone nodded and murmured in agreement to his question. "But he's the strongest vampire I know." He looked toward Emmett, not wanting to believe what he was hearing.

Emmett had enough. He was starting to get more and more frustrated now with everyone doubting his strength. He had always relied on how strong he was, until I became a vampire and showed him up last year with our first arm wrestling match.

It had been a few months since our last rematch, and I've always won before -- he's never gotten over loosing.

"She's not stronger than me anymore!" Emmett stated, standing up out of his chair and stalking slowly toward us, ready to defend himself. "She's not a newborn anymore."

"She never_ has_ been a newborn, Emmett." Jasper stated truthfully. "Remember?"

"Maybe not in how she acted and controlled herself. But even _you_ say that a newborn's strength only lasts a year before it becomes normal." Emmett replied, turning on Jasper. He didn't like being put down.

"I've been wrong about a lot of things when it comes to Bella." Jasper replied in a calmer voice. I could feel that he was trying to calm Emmett's nerves. "She's not normal, Emmett. We all have seen, and now have heard that."

I was enjoying this little show. It was fun to pick on my big bear of a brother! I never get to pick on him very often -- he was always the one picking on me in some form or another, even while I was human.

"I can still beat you, big brother!" I gave him a huge, daring smile. That got him even more worked up. Jasper glared at me, I wasn't helping him calm Emmett's frustrated anger. I smiled an evil smile back at him. This was going to be fun!

"Wanna bet?" Emmett stalked over to the coffee table in front of me and knelt down, facing me with his right elbow on the table and fist in the air. "I want a rematch. Right here, right now." He glared.

"Fine." I gave Edwards hand a quick squeeze as I knelt down on the floor. "Same bet as the first?"

"Fine." He replied as I placed my right elbow on the table and my hand in his, ready to beat him yet again.

I turned to look at Alice before we started, "Esme won't mind, will she?" I asked, glancing down at the coffee table.

Alice chuckled, "No. I've been wanting to replace that old thing! Go for it!" She replied with a huge smile on her face. Emmett wasn't paying attention to he, he was focused on me. Alice winked at me, I knew I was going to win, hands down.

Everyone was gathered around us now as the rest of the party walked in from the dining room and outside. They must have heard Emmett's ranting.

Renesmee's face lit up with excitement as she ran into Edward's arms, wanting to watch me beat Emmett again. She's always enjoyed watching our little matches and the reactions they cause.

"What's going on in here?" Charlie asked as he came into the room, pushing Billy's wheelchair. I froze as my grip loosened a tiny bit from Emmett's hand.

"Not backing down now, are you little sister?" Emmett taunted me, noticing my slight distraction.

"Nothing but a little arm wrestling match between your daughter and I, Charlie." Emmett smirked, raising his voice a fraction so that Charlie could hear him clearly.

"_Arm wrestling?_ … _Bella_?" Charlie was now confused, he has never known me to do any kind of sport activity or competition - especially when it involved strength.

I turned to look at him, my hand still clutched in Emmett's massive one on the table.

"Yeah, dad." I replied. I took a calming breath before I briefly explained, "You've noticed throughout this past year how much I've changed. Well, now you are about to see how strong I really am now."

I turned to look at Edward for encouragement, _did I say the right thing to my father?_ He just looked at me and nodded, understanding the look in my eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop this from happening in front of Charlie now.

Everyone was gathered around us now in the living room, and I saw all of their faces as I turned back to my ever-impatient big brother. Curiosity, wonder, delight and excitement was present on all of their faces. No one but our family knew what happened last year when I beat Emmett for the first time, and all of the vampires here believed Emmett to be the strongest of us all.

"OK, Bells." Charlie gulped. This was going to be an experience for him. I didn't know what to expect his reaction was going to be to seeing this new side of me. "I heard something about a bet. What are you betting on, Bells?"

"We'll tell you afterwards, when we know the outcome, Charlie." Emmett responded impatiently. He was still thinking that he could win this time, and probably couldn't wait to start a nice round of inappropriate jokes about Edward and I again. I glared at him - I didn't have to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking - he gave me a sly smile in return.

"Dad, would you do the honors?" I glanced at my father, pleading. I gripped Emmett's hand tighter as a little warning. If I squeezed any harder, I could probably break his fingers. He gave me a tiny wince, but hardly showed any discomfort.

Charlie slowly walked up to us, still unsure of what he was going to see. "Be careful, Bells." he whispered to me as he placed his hand on our entwined fingers.

"Ready?" Charlie started. "One, two … three," And with that, he let go of our hands and stepped back.

Emmett ground his teeth together as he struggled, pushing hard against my hand.

Nothing happened.

I could feel his whole strength against my arm, but I held it there, hardly focusing my strength on not moving.

I focused my eyes on Emmett's frustrated face as he struggled against me. I heard "Ooo's" and "Aww's" from the spectators as they gathered closer around us in excitement.

"Come on, Emmett. You can do it …"

"Go, Bella! Go!"

"Wow, she's not even flinching …"

"Look at him struggle …"

I heard the cat-calls, but I hadn't noticed, nor did I care who the voices where coming from.

I wasn't about to let Emmett go down easily, I wanted him to fight a little first. I was having way too much fun with this anyways, I wanted to play with him a little, too.

I could feel all of my strength pulsing through my own arm. I flexed a tiny bit and pushed his arm back an inch. Everyone fell silent.

Emmett pushed back even harder, with no avail. I was in total control of this match, so I let him think he was really making a difference. I let my arm go backwards an inch, and I heard gasps float around the room.

After a few minute of going back and forth, I was starting to get a little bored. I smiled a huge evil smile at him - he knew what was coming as he grimaced in response.

"Ready, Emmett?" I taunted. I flexed my arm completely as I threw his arm back, crashing into the table.

"_NO_!" Emmett yelled as the table collapsed from the impact.

We all shot backwards a few feet as the table shattered into kindling.

Emmett ran from the room in defeat and I heard his bedroom door slam shut. Rosalie walked off after him to go try and console her bitter husband.

I looked around the room at all of the shocked faces. Applause broke out with more cat-calls from Jacob's pack.

My family just smiled back at me and applauded my win, yet again.

Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me close to him, giving me an unexpected passionate kiss in front of everyone -- which in turn caused more cat-calls from the pack.

"I love you, my strong, sexy wife." he whispered in my ear.

I kissed him back, reaching up to put my hands through his hair, pulling him closer to me. "I love you, too, my beautiful, sexy husband." I breathed when our lips parted.

"Not now." Interrupted Carlisle in a low whisper, putting his hands on both of our shoulders to stop us.

"Sorry, dad." Edward replied sheepishly resting his head against my forehead. "Later" he hissed playfully at me before turning me around to face everyone.

I was brought back to my senses by all of the surprised faces from our vampire friends, and even from Billy and Sue. They've never seen anyone beat Emmett before. Edward laughed at their disbelief.

Renesmee jumped into my arms and touched my face, giving me a recap of what I just did. "Good job, momma!" she gave me a huge smile and kiss on the cheek as she wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a big bear hug.

"Thank you, baby" I replied kissing her hair as I held her close.

"You are quite literally the most powerful vampire I have ever seen." Eleazar whispered just loud enough for us to hear as he stood next to us.

"I am proud to be considered your friend." Eleazar stated as he turned to face me, lightly grabbing my shoulders and smiling at me.

"Thank you, Eleazar," I replied. "I feel the same way, and thank you for your help." I reached around him with my free arm and gave him a quick hug.

Then I remembered that Charlie had been watching.

I quickly glanced around the room and spotted him against the far wall, surrounded by Sue and Billy, fear and astonishment present on all of their faces.

I turned toward Edward, worried, as I put Renesmee down.

"He's just a little freaked out, love." Edward answered my worry. We had developed a kind of silent communication -- he could tell what was on my mind by reading the looks in my eyes.

"Should I go talk to him?" I asked, turning back to look at my father across the room again.

"It probably wouldn't hurt to try." He encouraged, taking Renesmee's hand out of mine so that I could go. "I will be close by if you need me, Jacob and I are going to talk to Carlisle about our earlier discussion."

I nodded to him as I walked toward my father through the crowded room. I felt hands reaching out to touch my shoulders and pat me on the back with "Good job's" and "Wow's" echoing around the room; but I wasn't paying any attention.

I was focused on my father.

_**~End Chapter~**_

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**AN:** So? What do you think? Bella's still got it! Lol! (Sorry Emmett, love ya anyways though!) :D

'Kay, now go REVIEW!!!!!! :D *at least 10 reviews and I will update again!*


	7. Announcement

**AN: **Well, since it's my birthday today, I'll go ahead and update! So here's a special treat from me to you! Enjoy! :D

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Chapter 7: 'Announcement'

Walking very cautiously toward my father, I held my hands at my sides, palms facing outwards, showing that I meant him no harm. I felt a little awkward walking to my father like this. Edward had done the same gesture to me when I was human, but only after he had killed and dismembered Victoria right in front of me - this could hardly count as scary compared to that, but I could only imagine that my face looked just as scarred then as my father's does right now.

"Dad …?" I said in a cautious voice. I didn't want to scare him even more. I could hear his heartbeat beating dangerously fast - almost as fast as Renesmee's heartbeat - was too fast for a human. He needed to calm down and breathe. I instantly thought about Jasper, but I also needed my father to express his true feelings right now without any conflicting influence.

I quickly looked around and found Jasper. His gaze met mine and I shook my head and slightly mouthed 'please don't help'. He nodded and mouthed back 'only if needed'. He understood my request and I nodded in response, looking back at the three huddled humans, sitting just a few feet in front of me.

"Dad … everything's going to be okay. I wont hurt you." I encouraged, looking as hopeful as I could into my father's eyes. I stood, my hands still at my sides, palms forward, not moving, several feet in front of them.

Both Sue and Billy looked at me and then at Charlie as I slowly approached, not nearly as scarred, but mostly with worry for Charlie's sake. They both knew that I was a vampire and how much stronger I suddenly had become then when I was human, even though they had never witnessed my strength in person like this before.

Charlie took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, focusing on lowering his heart rate on his own. I could hear it working. His heartbeat slowly returned to a slightly normal pace. The last thing I wanted was for him to have a heart attack over me, especially right now.

A few long moments passed as I still stood frozen in front of them, waiting for him to say something. Charlie was still silent with his eyes closed, his face in his hands now. He never liked to show his emotions.

"Dad? Are you okay?" I asked, breaking the silence. I slowly walked up to them again, one step at a time, and came to kneel on the floor at his feet. Sue wrapped her arm around him, trying to comfort him. Billy also placed his hand on my father's arm.

Charlie finally looked at me, shaking his head, "No, I'm not okay." He looked hurt. "Who _are _you? What have you done to my daughter?" He whispered.

My dead heart broke and my face fell with his words.

I slowly reached out and placed his warm hands in my cold ones, "I am still your daughter dad, Isabella," I said in a quiet voice, looking into his eyes then down at our hands. "I've just … changed."

"No. My daughter could never have done that," Charlie said, shaking his head. "I knew you'd changed, but I never would've thought you could do anything like this. Please, for the love of God, tell me the truth. What is really going on here? Screw this 'need to know' crap."

I took a slow, deep breath and let it out, trying to figure out how to continue. "You've seen how much I've changed over this past year, dad. I'm not the same Isabella Swan that you knew when I was growing up. But I am still your daughter, and will always be, you have to remember that," I said in the calmest, softest voice I could manage, looking up into his eyes again. "I may be much stronger, and a little more graceful, but I am still your little girl.

"I really wish that I could tell you everything. I really want to, but I can't. Please understand," I pleaded.

"I know," Charlie admitted. "You have some sort of secret that you can't tell me the specifics about." I nodded in agreement. I didn't know what else to say to him without blurting everything out to him.

"But," Charlie continued, "As the Police Chief, don't I have the right to know these things? If there's something crazy going on in my town, I want to know about it," He added, leaning in closer to me.

I nodded again. Taking a deep breath before I answered him. "Yes, but it's for your safety as my father that you can't know." I closed my eyes; I hate not being honest with my father.

"Are you sure this is what you wanted, Bells?" Charlie finally asked, realizing and accepting that he wasn't getting any answers from me, at least not tonight.

"Yes dad, more than anything." I nodded, smiling up at my father.

"Alright, Bells," Charlie said, nodding once as he too closed his eyes in understanding.

Then he looked back at me, in a much calmer mood than when I first walked over to him. "But, I have to say, I have never seen such _red_ eyes," Charlie said quietly, intending for only me to hear, as he gave a slight laugh. "I know these people are your friends - and they are really nice, don't get me wrong - but those eyes are a little creepy." He chuckled as he glanced around the room.

I couldn't help but chuckle myself. Just last year, my eyes were the same color. If it weren't for the brown contact's that Alice insisted that I wear, he would've seen my bright red eyes instead of the muddy brown. Now, my eyes are gold, and a little bit easier for him to accept. He was already used to the Cullen family having gold eyes, he just thought that it was all a part of becoming one of the family, and because of me changing, that my eyes were now gold instead of his chocolate brown.

I followed his glance and saw all of our red-eyed friends smirk slightly - so that no human could notice - at my father's comment.

I turned back to face my father, "Are you okay now, dad?" I squeezed his hands lovingly in mine.

"Sure, sure, Bells," Charlie answered. He was spending way too much time with Billy and Jacob to have picked up that phrase. I chuckled to myself. Billy and Sue both smiled at his answer, too.

Charlie took another calming breath. His heartbeat was back to normal now. "Thanks, baby. We will get through this, and no matter what happens to you, or how much you change, I will always love you. I'm sorry to worry you, this was just a lot to handle all at once, certainly nothing I ever expected to see you do."

"That's okay, dad," I smiled at him, reaching out to give him a hug. "And thanks, I'll always love you too!"

"I mean, come on Bells! That was _Emmett_ for crying out loud!" Charlie laughed. He was completely calmed down now. "He is the biggest, strongest guy I have ever seen! And you, my uncoordinated, never-play-sports daughter, beat him at an arm wrestling match with no problems what so ever. How in the world did you do that? It wasn't for show, was it?" He asked curiously.

I snorted a laugh. "No, it was certainly NOT for show! That was completely real! I'm just stronger than he is now, that's all." I shrugged. It was the truth, too. I have been stronger than Emmett since I became a vampire, and it doesn't seem to be dissipating like a normal newborn vampire's strength would.

"No, dad. He was definitely pushing against me as hard as he possibly could; it just wasn't enough," I snickered as I looked back to the staircase leading up to Emmett and Rosalie's bedroom, where Rose was still consoling her sulking husband.

"Nope, I guess not … wow," Charlie agreed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Come on, dad," I chuckled, pulling him up to his feet. "Come on Sue, and Billy, lets get back to the party." I smiled at them all.

"Oh, speaking of a party, Bells," Charlie stopped as we started walking through the room. "I have and announcement to make. Well, actually … Sue and I have and announcement!" He took Sue's hand as she stood beside him, smiling lovingly at each other. I've seen that look before - in Edward's eyes when he always looked at me while I was human - the look of wonder, amazement and longing.

"What is it, Charlie?" Edward asked as he came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He recognized that look, too, as he smiled that all knowing smirk at me. He already knew what Charlie was going to say.

"Ah-hem," Carlisle needlessly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention so that they could all hear. "It seems that Charlie has an announcement to make."

"Go ahead, Charlie!" Jacob encouraged as he stood next to us, with a curious Renesmee in his arms. Jacob winked at me. He already knew, too. I shot him a questioning look and glanced over at Seth and Leah, they too had confused looks on their faces, before turning back to my father and Sue. Once again, I was kept in the dark about what was going on, but I'm glad that I wasn't the only one this time. I could probably already guess as to what the surprise was. And, if my suspicions were right, I wasn't yet sure I liked it.

"Thanks Carlisle, thanks Jacob." Charlie nodded to each of them.

He took a deep breath. Turning to face the rest of the party, blushing with embarrassment, and finally resting his eyes on me, he stated "I have asked Sue to marry me! We're getting married!"

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**AN: **So what do you all think? Was Charlie's raction what you expected it to be; too much, too little? Please let me know! And who knows, maybe I'll send out little previews of the next chapter to those that review! :D


	8. Shock

**AN: **'Kay, well here's the next chapter! Hope you all are enjoying this story so far!

Disclaimer: I do not own. These characters and everything Twilight belong only to the great Stephanie Meyer. Thank you!

Huge thanks to Somah for being my beta! You are the best! :D

Now, on with the show!

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Chapter 8: 'Shock'

Charlie's announcement was a shock. I wasn't expecting it this so soon either. It has only been a year and a half since Harry Clearwater, Sue's first husband, passed away from a heart attack. It was shortly after the funeral, and my return from Italy, that my father and Sue became even closer friends. He would go visit her whenever he got the chance, and she would always bring him food when I wasn't around to feed him myself. Sue quickly replaced me as Charlie's personal chef after I got married; which was perfectly fine with me considering that I was now out of the house with a family of my own to take care of, and Charlie would've been left to fend for himself with nothing but the fish that he caught everyday, again - which we all feared.

Renesmee was the first to fully congratulate her grandfather and her soon-to-be grandmother. Jumping out of Jacob's arms in an instant and running - almost colliding - into Charlie and Sue's open ones. Giving them both big smiles and bear hugs. This was turning out to be the best birthday ever for her, even though it officially was her first.

Edward and I were next to congratulate them. Edward guided me the few feet between us and Charlie and Sue. I was still stunned and speechless.

"Congrats Charlie, Sue!" Edward exclaimed, shaking Charlie's hand and giving Sue a hug.

"Wow, dad. I never expected this so soon … or at all really. But I'm really happy for you both," I smiled at them, giving my own set of hugs, trying to hide my shock.

I never thought that Charlie would remarry after mom left him when I was a baby, he always seemed so content to be single and by himself.

"You deserve this, both of you!" I added, pulling out of the hug to Sue and taking a step back to look at them together. They were really happy, it showed in their eyes and in the way they held one another.

"Thanks, Bells," Charlie Exclaimed. "That really means a lot to us!"

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Bella?" Sue asked, squeezing my hand. She could see how worried I was. "You'll not only be gaining me as your step-mom, but you'll also be getting a brother and sister as well."

"Yea, I'm fine Sue," I nodded and smiled, glancing over to where Seth and Leah now stood in the corner of the living room together, still in shock also. "I don't mind having a new brother and sister either, considering I already call them family, especially Seth." I laughed.

"Yes, Seth sure has taken a liking to you all!" Sue admitted, chuckling to herself. "And Leah's getting there in her own way."

We all laughed at her statement as they turned to accept congratulations from the rest of our friends and family.

After a few more hours of congratulating the newly engaged couple and visiting with our guests, Charlie, Sue and Billy were ready to call it a night. Renesmee was already fast asleep in Edward's arms as we sat together on the couch.

"Well, Bells. I think I'm ready to hit the sack. And it looks like Billy there's ready to go, too," Charlie laughed as he got up form the couch and pointed over to Billy, who was nodding off in his wheelchair by the front door.

"Alright, dad," I chuckled at the sight. "I'm really glad you came today!" I got up from the couch and gave my father another hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Me too, Bells. Me too," Charlie whispered in my ear as we hugged. "Don't ever forget, I will always love you, no matter who, or what, you are now."

"Thanks, dad. I love you too," I gave him a final squeeze before releasing him. "Drive home safe and sleep good." He smiled back at me and leaned over to kiss the top of Renesmee's head, whispering "good night" to her and Edward.

I turned to say good night to Sue, who was still talking to Alice.

"Alright, we'll be in touch soon about the wedding plans!" Alice exclaimed as she gave Sue a quick hug.

"Yes we will, thanks again, Alice. I really appreciate your help!" Sue agreed, smiling back at Alice before turning to face me.

"Thanks for coming Sue," I said, reaching out to her.

"You're very welcome, Bella," Sue smiled warmly at me, giving me a big hug. "And happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Sue," I smiled back at her. "Have a safe drive home and sleep well. We'll see you later!"

"We will. Take care, Bella. Good night," Sue said, turning to Charlie and Billy, who were waiting patiently for her at the door.

After they left, along with the rest of the pack - except, of course, Jacob - to go either patrolling, or home to bed as well; I took one more glance around the room before returning to Edward and Renesmee on the couch. Tanya, Kate and Garrett had taken Benjamin, Tia, Siobhan, Liam and Maggie on a quick hunting trip - they were still trying to get used to drinking animal blood and casually being around humans. Emmett and Rosalie had opted to join the hunting party. I could hear Carlisle, Eleazar, Carmen and Zafrina talking around the dining room table; Senna and Kachiri were there with them, quietly listening - they never spoke unless spoken to. Esme was floating around the house, cleaning up from the party. Alice and Jasper had gone up to their room for the night. Edward still sat on the couch with his eyes closed, enjoying this father-daughter time with Renesmee. Jacob lounged out on one of the armchairs, looking like he was about ready to pass out as well. Nahuel was on the love seat, laying his head on Huilen's lap, also trying to fight off sleep.

"I think it's time to take Renesmee home and put her to bed," I suggested warmly, walking up to Edward, who opened his eyes and met my gaze. Nodding, he effortlessly got up from the couch without moving our sleeping daughter.

"Nahuel, would you like to come with us and sleep in our spare bedroom?" I asked, turning to face them with a warm and inviting smile on my face. They had been so quiet during the whole day, keeping to themselves most of the time, and taking it all in. Being around this many people - vampire, human and werewolf combined - and this much love, can be a lot to handle when you're not used to it after one hundred and fifty years of living.

Nahuel looked up at me with extremely tired eyes, not entirely sure how to answer my question. He must not have gotten much sleep before coming here. "It'll be much quieter and you can sleep for as long as you like, we don't mind," I assured him.

Earlier in the year, we added a spare bedroom for Jacob to sleep in when he was out on patrol, and when he wanted to be closer to Renesmee during the night. We may not have been okay with him sleeping in the same room as her, but we didn't mind that they shared the same roof every now and then. This made him happy, and made us feel better about them being together. Right now, he was acting as her babysitter as well as her big brother.

But, tonight, we would let Nahuel sleep in that bed for as long as he needed and wanted it.

Nahuel nodded to me, sitting up from Huilen's lap, and sleepily muttered, "Thank you. I would like that very much," he yawned at the end of his response, and stretched as he got up

"You don't mind if I sleep on the couch then, do you, Bells?" Jacob asked, as he also got up from his chair to joined us.

"No, of course not, Jacob," Edward answered, still carrying his daughter, sound asleep in his arms. "You're always welcome, you know that."

We said quick hugs good night to those still in the house, and set off for the cottage.

When we reached our home a minute later, Edward quietly put Renesmee down in her bed as I showed Nahuel and Huilen where the guest room was. Huilen came with us, not wanting to be away from her nephew; she was still getting used to being around us. When I returned to the living room, Jacob was sprawled out on the couch, he was out before his head hit the pillows. I lightly covered him with a blanket and kissed his cheek good night, then turned to tuck Renesmee in with a kiss of my own, then joined my waiting husband in our own room.

_~End Chapter~_

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**AN: **So, what did you think? Please let me know! Your revies, especially right now, will help immensly for what's to come! So don't be afraid to be a cridic; good, bad, whatever!

I think now I'm just going to update regularly, like every few days or so until I catch up to all that I have written so far. So stay tuned for more updates! :D


	9. Wrestling

**AN:** Here's chapter 9! I hope you all are liking this story so far! This is a fun one, so enjoy!

Thank you to Somah for being my beta! You are awesome! If you guys and gals haven't read her stories yet, go check them out! She's fabulous!

I do not own.

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Chapter 9: 'Wrestling'

Charlie and Sue came over again three days after Renesmee's surprise party to celebrate what used to be my real birthday. I would still be turning 20, according to Charlie. We kept up the pretenses and I grudgingly gave in to being another year older.

_For Charlie's sake. _I kept repeating to myself throughout the whole affair.

The next day, I was finally forced to give in to the tormenting and constant badgering from the boys.

I needed those few short days to fully wrap my head around what exactly I could do now. It all seemed too surreal. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that the whole party was a dream, and that none of it actually happened.

Emmett and Garrett were the worst. Of course they were always careful not to torment me when their wives were around. Rosalie was renowned for slapping Emmett on the back of the head and sending him to the 'dog house' whenever he acted, or said, anything stupid. And Kate was never afraid to let Garrett have a few jolts of electricity run through his body. They surely didn't need me to torture them when they were married to women like that - especially not Garrett.

But I secretly thought that they were enjoying every minute of it, and wanted to try something new. I shuddered at that thought.

Both Kate and Zafrina were there to encourage me in expanding my abilities. Even Rosalie was all excited for me to give it a try - even if it was to get back at Emmett.

Edward and I were in the back yard of the big house with Renesmee and Jacob, playing an interesting game of hide-and-go-seek tag. Zafrina, Tanya and Maggie also joined us after a while. We even managed to get Huilen and Nahuel interested in joining us. Then Benjamin and Tia joined in too, when they got back from a hunting trip with Alice and Jasper.

Emmett and Garrett were hiding somewhere far enough away that Edward couldn't hear them probably planning ways to make me snap. Their absences always made me a little nervous, both Emmett and Garrett had figured out how to get around Alice's visions also -- they' learned not to make decisions until right before they pounced.

Suddenly, when I wasn't paying attention and focused on trying to find everyone who was hiding, I was ambushed from behind by Emmett and knocked to the ground. Before I knew it, I was on my back, and pinned down by both boys.

"Come on, Bella," Emmett taunted me. "Gimme your best shot!"

"Yea, Bella," Garrett joined in. They were asking for trouble. "What are you gonna do now?"

I was still shocked from being taken by surprise, and we were quickly gathering an audience from every family member and friend. Everyone came out of their hiding place, and from the house, to see what was going on.

I quickly got control of myself and tossed both sets of hands from me as I got up off of the ground, throwing both boys back several feet into the air. I was never going to get tired of being stronger than Emmett. Apparently they thought that with both of them holding me down, that they could keep me down. That must have been Emmett's brilliant idea, because it obviously didn't work as well as they had hoped.

I quickly got to my feet and spun around to see where everyone was at, focusing on where the boys landed. Shock and disappointment filled their faces.

Alice giggled from where she was standing by the house, a big grin on her face. She had probably seen this coming, and probably saw what was going to happen next - little to my knowledge, but there were a lot of possibilities, and she most likely saw all of them.

I was so irritated at Emmett and Garrett's childish behavior, that I instantly threw my shield out until I had only them covered. All of our spectators were smart enough to stay far enough back and just watch.

My shield was automatically the flexible sheet that is has always been, that was a relief. _Eleazar was right; this was my default protective shield._ I smirked at the thought before returning my attention to my captives.

I had to concentrate a little bit before I figured out how to make it into a brick wall. I found that I just had to think about keeping my soon-to-be victims inside and not let them out - that seemed to allow my shield to harden around us.

I saw Edward standing beside Jacob and Renesmee, all of them had shocked and worried faces as they watched the whole scene. I could see that he desperately wanted to come to me and protect me, he has never liked seeing me in any kind of threatening position - even if it was a playful one like this.

Alice soon ran over to Edward to stop him from trying to stop them, letting him know what was happening. His face soon calmed as I gave my loving, over-protective husband a weak smile, turning back to Emmett and Garrett, who were now on their feet, staring at me with frightened eyes.

Making sure that my shield was still the invisible brick wall and securely in place, I hunched down and gave them both a menacing growl. I found that I could easily move inside of my shield, pushing it to the back of my mind and keeping control of it at the same time, as I focused my attention on the two boys in front of me. They finally made me snap, now it was my turn to have fun with them.

When they heard my growl, Garrett froze. Emmett on the other hand, panicked and turned to run away from me. Before we all knew what happened, Emmett was knocked backwards by the force of his speed as he hit the wall, landing again on his backside.

Everyone, including Garrett, erupted in a fit of laughter as Emmett quickly got up and dusted himself off. I stood there, looking at my big brother, shaking my head in amused disbelief at his actions.

_Did he really just do that? Has he already forgotten what I could do? _I thought, trying to suppress my own fit of laughter.

"What the heck was that?" Emmett snarled at me. "Was that your shield, Bella?"

I managed to smile sweetly at him and nodded my head. _This is going to be fun!_

"That was incredible," Garrett laughed uncontrollably. "Emmett, you should've seen yourself!"

"Oh, don't worry, he can," I said, chuckling at everyone's faces. "I'm sure Renesmee would be more than happy to replay it for him!" My gaze landed on my daughter, who was still laughing and clapping hysterically in Jacob's arms, pointing at her Uncle Emmett. When she heard me, she stopped clapping and gave me a huge smile and nodded enthusiastically.

"So, now that we're apparently trapped," Emmett started, getting back to the reason for their attack on me. "What are you waiting for?" Emmett was facing me again, slowly walking towards me with his arms out in front of him, palms facing up as he moved his fingers, giving me the signal to come and get him.

Emmett recovered quickly form his little humiliation, now he wanted revenge. He was playing into my hand now though, and not his own; he must've forgotten about that. He wanted a real fight, hand to hand, like we had practiced before the Volturi came last December, when he was teaching me how to fight because Edward refused to accept me as a fighter and train me himself.

Garrett soon followed suit, taking a ready stance next to Emmett, giving me to same signal.

I had to think about that for a second. _Now that I had them trapped, what was I going to do with them? And how would I do it?_

I quickly thought about everything I could do; I could torture their bodies through their minds; I could completely take away all of their senses; I could blind them, or make them see what ever I wanted them to see; and I could separate the bond of friendship between them and make them turn on each other.

As I mentally went down the list, I quickly decided which ones would be best to use when I had help on the inside - such as using the sensory deprivation, and blinding them. And I didn't feel all too comfortable torturing them completely yet, I just wanted to have fun with them right now. I especially didn't want Renesmee to see that, either. That was one that I would save for when there were less people watching and no children around.

I finally settled on one choice, it was quite obvious that this would be the best one to use today. It would be fun to play with them.

They were so ready to come at me together, attacking me as one, like they had before.

I could see their lights, and taste their individual flavors as they slowly advanced towards me. I could easily see the connection between one another, and between them and me, which I hadn't noticed before. It was like a tiny string connecting their lights. The brighter and thicker string connected Emmett and I and I could only assume that was because we were family.

I focused on the string between both boys. It all seemed very natural, and instantly I knew exactly what I needed to do. I thought about their bond as friends, about them coming at me together. Then I thought about making them turn against each other, breaking that string.

All of a sudden, they turned to face each other, barring teeth and hissing. I couldn't see that string anymore. I was successful. _It worked._

They lunged at one another. Emmett tackled Garrett first, wresting him to the ground before Garrett got the upper hand and started rolling Emmett onto his back. They kept rolling on the ground, wrestling for the upper hand.

Everyone watching stared in amazement at the sight before their eyes, the only one who knew what was going to happen was Alice, and Edward, who looked smug and happy with my choice of punishment. Alice gave me a huge smile and started clapping, Edward looked pleased with me and joined Alice in clapping, and soon everyone was applauding what I had done.

I smiled back at them and turned back to the two boys who were still wrestling on the ground, unaware of what was actually going on.

Finally I decided to relinquish my hold on them. The tiny string connecting their lights came back and they stopped wrestling - Garrett laying on top of Emmett, pinning him to the ground. They both had shocked and bewildered looks on their faces as they shot up off of the ground, away from one another.

They both turned and stared at me when they finally regained their bearings to where they were at.

"What just happened?" Emmett's voice boomed across the yard. "Why were we fighting against each other, and how in the world did _he_ pin _me_ down?" Gesturing toward Garrett as he kept his eyes on me.

Emmett wasn't happy at the fact that, yet again, he had lost a battle that he would have easily won under any normal circumstance. But this time I knew it was all me, I had given the upper hand to Garrett when I released them.

I laughed at Emmett, "You asked for it, you know!" Giving him the best smug smile that I could.

Emmett glared at me. I'm sure that he would've huffed away to hide if he knew he wasn't trapped inside my shield.

Garrett was still shocked and silent. Staring at me in surprise.

"That was amazing, Bella," Garrett finally spoke, "Can we do that again?"

Everyone laughed at his remark. I couldn't help but laugh at him also. He was like a kid sticking his hand in the cookie jar, just asking for trouble.

"Maybe another time, Garrett," I said, bringing my shield up from the back of my mind and letting it go back to the normal, protective sheet, then pulling it back completely as I walked toward my husband. Applause and laughter could still be heard from our many spectators.

I passed Rosalie on her way to calm her own husband, yet again. She gave me a huge smile and a nod of approval.

When I reached Edward, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a short, but wonderful kiss on my lips.

"That was amazing, love." Edward smiled in my ear. "I'm so proud of you."

"Wow, Bella," Zafrina exclaimed, walking up to us. "How did you do that so fast? It didn't even look like you were trying."

"I don't know," I answered. "It's hard to explain. When they attacked me, I was really irritated at them. They finally got the rise out of me that they were looking for. So I threw out my shield and thought about keeping them trapped inside, then I felt my shield harden and I knew it worked, especially when Emmett ran into it!" I laughed as I explained what I was doing. "Then I just thought about everything that I could do to them. I just wanted to have fun for the moment and not do anything too drastic; trying to keep it simple."

"Well, all I've got to say, Bella, is that was brilliant!" Kate smiled, standing next to Zafrina.

"Thanks," I responded, a little embarrassed at the attention that this had caused, but very pleased with myself at the same time.

Eleazar came walking up to us with Carmen and Carlisle close behind him. "Well, Bella. It sure looks like you've gotten control of your powers fairly quickly! I'm shocked and very proud of you!" Eleazar smiled at me, pulling me into a hug.

"Yes, that was very fun to watch, very entertaining," Carlisle stated, also pulling me into a hug and chuckling at his son's apparent enthusiasm at getting publicly humiliated, yet again.

I was silent, I didn't know what else to say. I always hated being the center of attention; now I was thrown right into the middle of it, again, thanks to Emmett, and Garrett. I just smiled at everyone's joyfully enthusiastic expressions at what I could do now.

"Hey, Bella," Garrett called, walking up with a devious grin on his face.

_What could he want now? How much more could he take?_ I thought to myself, looking at Edward to try and figure out what was going through his mind. Edward's face was unreadable as he looked from Garrett to me. I couldn't tell if he was smirking or frowning at Garrett's thought process.

"What, Garrett?" I asked, turning to him, slightly annoyed by his constant badgering. He wasn't nearly as bad as Emmett, but it was still rather annoying.

"I was just thinking," Garrett started, stopping in his tracks at the expression on my face. "Maybe next time, we could try more people. Really see what you can do. That was only one form, after all, you still can do three more that we can try out."

He did have a point, but I was really in no mood right now to even try to attempt the rest of my power today, and certainly not with this many people around watching.

"Yea, maybe another day, Garrett" Edward spoke for me when he saw my face.

"But no more pestering me, or you're not getting anything from me." I added, pointing my finger at him to make my point. That was the one thing that I couldn't stand anymore. Threatening them with punishment wouldn't be the wisest thing, considering that's what they were looking for. So I came up with the next best alternative, and the one that I preferred in the first place, knowing full well that I wasn't about to escape completely from them.

"Alright, we'll stop bugging you about it," Garrett reluctantly agreed, looking slightly ashamed. "Just let us know whenever you're ready to practice again."

"Thanks, I will," I nodded.

I finally managed to get my point across that I needed time and space to fully grasp what I could do now, and to try to figure out how exactly I needed to tap into those other powers to make them work.

I thought back to when I was trying to figure out which one to use; that one was the most obvious at the time, and also the easiest to figure out. But, for at least one of the other ones, I needed to use the resource that I had here, and ask for help. I needed to talk to Zafrina.

"Oh, and sorry for interrupting your game," Garrett added as he turned to walk back to Emmett and Rosalie, who were now talking by the river. "It just seemed like the perfect time to catch you off guard."

"Don't worry about the game," I laughed, smiling at him with a huge smile on my face. "That can easily be restarted!" I said as I ran up to him, tagging him on the shoulder.

As I ran away from him and everyone else scattered, I yelled back, "You're it!"

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**AN:** So? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you! :D


	10. Answers

AN: Here's chapter 10! The start of Bella practicing with her powers! I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you to Somah for beta-ing my story for me! I really do appreciate all the help!

As we all know, I do not own. Bummer.

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Chapter 10: Answers

The next day, Edward and I went hunting, leaving Renesmee with Jacob and the rest of our friends and family.

Before we left, I caught sight of Zafrina.

"Hey, Zafrina," I asked, getting her attention. Would you mind coming hunting with us?"

"Sure, Bella," Zafrina said, a curious look on playing on her face as she glided over toward Edward and I.

"Thanks," I smiled at her as we turned to leave.

After we reached a herd of deer several miles away from the house, and took down a few mountain lions several more miles away, we sat down together in a little clearing, enjoying the time to just relax and let go of everything. It was a surprisingly dry day, with a few sun rays peeking out between the puffy white clouds.

I don't know how long we sat there in silence before I finally got up the courage to ask Zafrina my questions. It was, after all, the reason why I had asked her to come with us. Edward sat next to me, silent, letting me do the talking. He knew that I had wanted to talk to Zafrina privately, away from everyone else, about her power.

She could see the tension on my face as I was deciding on how to ask her. I was grateful when she spoke first. Looking to Edward with a silent question before actually speaking, he nodded, so she continued.

"There's something you want to ask me, isn't there, Bella?" she asked.

"Umm, yes, there is," I said, still unsure how to ask exactly, clearing my throat - an old human reflex of uncertainty.

"What is it? You can ask me anything," she encouraged. Edward patted my back and looked at me, telling me to go ahead with his eyes.

"How does your power work exactly?" I didn't mean to just blurt I out like that, but I did.

She smiled and laughed at my directness. Edward chuckled at my side also, he never knew what to expect out of me. I felt even more embarrassed, if I could still blush, I would have been extremely red.

"I just want to understand how it works, so that I know what to do and expect when I use it." I clarified in almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Zafrina said, settling down from her laughter. "That was rude of me. Of course, I would love to help you out as best I can."

"Thanks," I nodded.

"I'm actually not quite sure how to explain it right," Zafrina started, thinking really hard about what she was going to say, and how.

"Just explain the basics. No need to get technical right now, she's just learning," Edward offered, reading Zafrina's mind.

"It just comes so easily for me now," she nodded at Edward and looked at me. "I've been able to do it for as long as I can remember. It's always been easy for me. I'm not sure how it will be fore you, of course. Like Eleazar said, everyone's different. You may be able to do what I can do, but it may happen differently for you than it does for me. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," I nodded. "I understand, but I would like to try anyway. To know how you do it, that way I can see if it works the same for me or not."

Zafrina nodded and thought for a little while longer.

Edward was oddly silent beside me, listening to her thoughts. Occasionally nodding to himself and "humph-ing" and "aww-ing " when he must've heard something interesting.

After a little while, Zafrina finally looked up at me, smiling. She must've had a good thought. Edward nodded to her again, wrapping his arm tighter around me, pulling me closer to him.

"I'm not entirely sure how to explain in words what I do," Zafrina started explaining again. "But I want to see if I can show you first, and try to explain that way."

I thought about that for a second. "Show me?" I asked.

"Yes, love," Edward answered. "She wants to see if her power works on you if you pull back your shield. I can help explain if you want me to, since I will be able to see better that way also."

"Oh, umm… Okay, I guess we can give that a try," I said, a little skeptical if this was going to work or not. But, then again, I already know that Edward, Jasper and Eleazar's power works on me when I pull my shield down, why wouldn't Zafrina's?

I easily pulled back the elastic shield and opened my mind to everything, and everyone.

"_She's not going to show me anything bad, is she?" _I thought, and at the same time letting Edward know that my shield was down.

The only time that I had ever seen Zafrina's powers at work was when I saw them through Renesmee; even then I was worried about what she was showing my daughter when I wasn't watching. Renesmee had always called them 'pretty pictures', and the vision that Edward had described to me about the rain forest seemed harmless, but I was still skeptical as to what she was capable of.

Edward turned his head to me in surprise; I couldn't help but smile at him. I love catching him off guard like that, it's so much fun!

"You'll be just fine, love," Edward responded, quickly regaining his composure as he hugged me closer to him. "Don't worry, I'll be watching also." he whispered in my ear, placing a kiss on my temple.

"Ready when you are," I told Zafrina, she was looking confused at Edward's reaction to me. I couldn't help but chuckle at them both.

"Alright, Bella," Zafrina said. "Here we go."

Suddenly, I wasn't sitting with Zafrina and Edward in the meadow anymore. Instead, I seemed to be sitting on a white beach, the sun just coming up over the horizon of the ocean in front of me, with no clouds in the sky and no one else around for miles.

"Edward?" I asked, nervous to suddenly be alone on this beach.

Without warning, Edward was sitting next to me, just like he had been in the meadow.

"I'm here, love," he chuckled. "How do you feel?"

"Weird," I exclaimed, honestly. I wasn't going to lie; this was very strange to me to see this on my own.

"This feels real, and looks real - especially with you now sitting next to me. But I know that I shouldn't think that it is real, I know that it's not," I explained.

"I know exactly what you mean, love," he said, turning his body towards mine and placing both of his hands on either side of my face, pulling me in, giving me a deep kiss.

"Do you know what this place reminds me of?" he asked when our lips parted.

"Mmm… Our honeymoon!" I smiled, closing my eyes, reveling in the slightly faded memories. When I opened my eyes, I scanned the beach and the ocean - everything looked so familiar and right. Smiling a huge smile at my husband when my gaze landed on him.

He laughed and gave me my favorite crooked smile; I was completely dazzled, as always. "Yes, love. Our honeymoon! But we can't, not here," he stated, shaking his head lightly at my smile.

"Why not?" I asked as I attempted to climb on his lap, wrapping my hands through his hair, and leaning in for another mind-blowing kiss.

"Because this isn't real, Bella," he said, grabbing my hands from his hair and slowly scooting away from me, looking into my eyes. Just like he used to do when I was human. I frowned, placing my arms across my chest, I thought we were over this.

"And I'm sure that Zafrina wouldn't appreciate watching us," he laughed as I pouted.

"Oh," I exclaimed when I realized what his words meant, I had forgotten that this wasn't real. "That's right, I forgot. I'm sorry." Edward chuckled beside me.

"That's okay, Bella," I heard Zafrina's voice coming from nowhere. I looked around, confused.

Before I could do anything else, the beach scene was gone. We were back in the meadow, in the same positions we had been in on the beach. Zafrina was now sitting with us again, giving me a crooked smile of her own as she was fighting off laughter. I looked down to my lap in embarrassment at my behavior.

"No need to be embarrassed, love," Edward said in my ear, kissing my temple as he lovingly stroked my arms. "You were just caught up in the moment, that's all." I nodded, looking up at them both with an apologetic smile.

"So what do you think, Bella?" Zafrina asked, still quietly chuckling to herself.

"That was amazing," I said, regaining my composure to the task at hand. "How did you do that though?"

"I think a good way of explaining the 'how'," Edward started, lost in thought again. "Is to compare it to Jasper's power."

"What do you mean?" I asked, even more confused now.

"Well, when she focused on you, or both of us," Edward continued." It seemed like a wave was sent out of that picture; first to just you, and then to me as well. Just like how Jasper sends out a wave of emotions."

Zafrina nodded. "That does make sense. I can focus on just one person, or a whole group of people at once. Showing everyone the same scene. Of course, when I do that, everyone is in the same position they were in before, and can see each other too, as you saw. Most of the time, when I cover a whole group, I show them nothing; making them blind. That way they can't see each other, and know where they're at," she continued explaining.

"So, you just think of a picture, or think of nothing, or darkness, and it just happens like a wave," I clarified for my own understanding. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, that seems about right," Zafrina agreed, nodding her head at me.

"Okay, I think I've got it now," I said. "Do you mind if I give it a try?" I asked, looking at them both apprehensively. I wanted to try out my powers and see how they work. I was happy that I wasn't getting pestered about this anymore, that I could do this on my own time.

"Sure, Bella," Zafrina willingly agreed. Edward nodded at my thoughts.

I put my shield back up, and expanded it out to cover both Zafrina and Edward. Turning it into the brick wall was easier this time that it had been before. All I had to do was think of my shield being a hard, impenetrable wall, when I felt it harden around us.

I turned to Edward and smiled. "This is getting easier every time I use my shield!" I exclaimed.

"That's the point in practicing, love," Edward chuckled. Zafrina gave a little laugh at my exclamation.

"Whenever you're ready, Bella," Zafrina said, regaining her composure as she sat up straight, looking at me, preparing herself for whatever I would show her.

"Okay, here goes nothing…" I let out a breath to concentrate.

I could see her and Edward's lights, and taste their individual flavors, along with seeing their strings connected to me and each other - I knew that was from my other power. I noticed that the string that was connecting Edward and I wasn't really a string at all, it was more like a thick, unbreakable chain. Whereas the connection between Zafrina and I, and to Edward, was like that thin string that connected Emmett and Garrett; that of friendship - easily breakable.

"Hmm… Interesting," I thought out loud.

"What is it, love?" Edward asked. "I can't read your mind right now, please tell me what you're thinking, or seeing," he begged.

Edward always hated when he couldn't read my mind.

Zafrina also looked confused. She also wanted to know what had caught my attention and distracted me.

"It's just the connections that I'm seeing between all of us from my other power. I can see the strength of our bonds, along with our connection…" I started to explain.

"Like Marcus?" Edward interrupted, deep in thought about the old Ancient's power and my own explanation. "You can see each relationship, and how strong or weak they are?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yea, I guess so," I admitted. "I guess they are connected, since I can also break some of those bonds, just like Chelsea can."

"That's probably why Eleazar thought it was only Chelsea's power that you had, and not Marcus' also, because of what you can do with that ability," Zafrina interjected thoughtfully.

"Plus, Marcus can't do anything with his power, he just sees it," Edward added to Zafrina's comment.

"Seems that way," I admitted thoughtfully, more to myself than to anyone else. "It's actually pretty cool though. But, I'll have to explain it another time. Right now I really want to practice with a power I can actually use!" I smiled, getting back on track to the task at hand.

"Okay, love," Edward agreed. "Let's practice."

Zafrina nodded in agreement, preparing herself again for whatever I was about show her.

I closed my eyes, focusing on Zafrina's light and flavor. I didn't want to be distracted by the connecting strings again.

I thought about the same beach she had showed me; the white sand, the sun rising, the clear blue sky overhead. Sending the scene out to her light.

"Whoa!" I heard her exclaim. I opened my eyes to see what happened, she was staring out with a blank face, her murky-red eyes open wide and strangely blank.

"Everything just went black," She mused, absently looking around.

"What? Really?" I asked, panicky. She frantically looked around in the direction of my voice.

"Yes, it's strange," she exclaimed.

"Is that what you intended, love?" Edward asked, confused not only by my expression, but also by Zafrina's obviously confused thoughts as well.

"No, I was thinking about that beach that she showed us," I admitted nervously. "Why didn't it work?"

"I don't know, love," Edward said, looking back to Zafrina, who was still looking around frantically.

I closed my eyes again, focusing on her light and giving her sight back.

"Thanks. That was really weird, Bella," Zafrina exclaimed once she had her sight back. I've always wondered how it felt when I used my power on someone. Now I know what it feels like to be blind." she chuckled.

"But that wasn't what I intended for you to see," I said, scared as to why it didn't work right.

"Maybe … you can't show pictures like Zafrina can, love," Edward explained. "Just like what Eleazar said before, how no two powers are the same because no one thinks the same. It could be possible that the only thing that you can do is to blind people."

Zafrina nodded at his explanation. "That does make sense. Especially considering all the other things that you can do."

"You've got a point," I finally admitted. "It is pretty cool that I can even do that, though." I chuckled.

They both chuckled with me at my statement.

We continued to sit there in the meadow, chatting aimlessly, enjoying the company.

After a few more hours, Zafrina stood up, ready to head back to the house, and to her sisters.

"Well, what do you say we head back now?" She asked, turning back to face Edward and I.

"You're right, we have been gone all day already," Edward answered, as we also got up from the ground.

"Thanks for allowing me to come hunting with you, this has been really fun!" She smiled at us.

"You're welcome!" I smiled at her as we joined her leaving the meadow. "Thanks for your help, too."

"Any time, Bella. All you have to do is ask and I'm here for you," she said as we ran towards the house.

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AN: Let me know what you think! I would love to hear what goes through your minds as you read this story!

If you're just finding this story, welcome and thank you all for reading! :D


	11. Planning

**AN: **Thank you Somah for beta-ing, and for sticking with me through your very busy life! You are very much appreciated! And if you haven't already, I would highly recommend going to check out her stories! They are totally awesome!

As usual, and I'm sure everyone knows already: I do not own. … Bummer :(

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Chapter 11: Planning

Over the next several weeks, Sue had been coming over more often to plan the wedding with Alice. They had been spending a lot of time together either here, or at Charlie's house when Sue was uncomfortable around all of us vampires.

Even though our friends were living by our vegetarian lifestyle, it was still very difficult for them to abstain from the human blood.

The Irish coven - Siobhan, Liam and Maggie - were the first to leave us, with promises to at least try to keep this lifestyle and accept the change.

"Living like this, seeing how you all live, was very eye-opening. Maybe there is more out there for us than what we are used to," Siobhan told us all as they said goodbye.

"This was quite an experience for us all, I'm not going to lie," Liam spoke up. Maggie smirked at his words and nodded -- she could tell when people were lying.

"I have to agree with my coven," Maggie said as she gave us all final hugs. "This was quite the experience. We will definitely try to keep it up, but it will take more time to get used to the idea than just a few short weeks."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Garrett laughed. "It's not that hard at all if you really stick to it!" He gave a smug smile as he spoke.

"I'm sure you're right, Garrett, thank you," Siobhan said as she smiled back at him. "Thank you all for inviting us to come and celebrate with you! We will keep in touch, but please don't hesitate in coming by our direction anytime. We would love to have you all come visit us, especially you Bella, Edward and Nessie! Happy birthday, again, and good luck and have fun with those new powers Bella."

"Thanks Siobhan," I smiled at them all as they walked out the door to catch their flight home. "We are overdue for a vacation, and Ireland would be perfect!"

A few days later, Huilen announced their departure as well; along with Zafrina, Kachiri and Senna, who were also eager to return home to the Amazon.

"Thank you very much for letting us come visit you again," Huilen said as we all hugged before they departed. "And for letting us stay in your spare room. It was really nice of you to offer."

"You are more than welcome to come back anytime you would like," Edward told her. "Our spare room is always open," he added with a sly smile for Jacob's benefit.

"Yea, I'm sure we can make room," Jacob said under his breath, rolling his eyes for effect. We all started laughing.

"Well, it was really good to see all of you again," Zafrina added when the laughter died down. "Don't' be strangers either. Come visit us sometime soon, okay?"

"We will certainly do that!" I replied, a huge smile covered my face as thoughts of a trip through the Amazon filled my head.

"It's also been quite an experience for us all to live like this, off of animal blood rather than human," Zafrina added, breaking me out of my thoughts

"Do you think you might consider it permanently?" Carlisle inquired.

Zafrina looked to her sisters, and to their new coven members, Huilen and Nahuel. They all gave impassive shrugs. "We'll see. Living like this definitely has it's benefits."

"Yes, that it does," Carlisle chuckled. "Well, best of luck to you all. Don't forget, our door is always open whenever you want to visit again."

"Thanks Carlisle," Zafrina smiled as they headed out the door to catch their flight home.

Benjamin and Tia decided to stay longer than everyone else, having never traveled outside of Egypt except to witness for us last December. They were taking to our lifestyle better also, having Garrett's help and the support of the both the Denali family and ours.

By the time October had arrived, and gone, Alice and Sue had managed to plan most of the wedding already. Sue was more willing to accept Alice's ideas with her wedding than I was with mine. They were having so much fun with this and I was really happy for them both, and trying my hardest to stay out of the way - which wasn't working out as I had hoped.

"Bella, it would be an honor if you would be a bridesmaid for me," Sue requested one evening.

"I would love to!" I exclaimed in surprise, giving her a huge, yet gentle, hug with a smile plastered on my face. "Thanks Sue, that really means a lot to me."

Sue had decided that the wedding would happen on Saturday February 23rd in the evening at the little chapel in La Push. Leah would be the Maid of Honor and Nessie would be her flower girl. For Charlie's side, Seth would be the Best Man, Edward would stand next to him as a groomsman, and Jacob would act as ring bearer. Our new whole family would unite as one for this special event.

Alice was overly excited about everything, as usual. Of course she saw everything perfectly - despite the blind spots that were the whole pack, who we all knew would be attending as well.

Alice had everything all planned -- dresses and tuxedos specially ordered, flower arrangements designed and ordered, church booked, pastor called, reception hall reserved -- before Thanksgiving had arrived.

Sue was even more anxious than Alice was, if that was even possible. A week before Thanksgiving, she called me and asked me to come over so that we could talk privately together.

I could tell that she had a lot on her mind. I couldn't blame her, with all of the stress from planning a wedding with Alice.

"Bella, there's something I need to talk to you about," she said as we sat down in her living room.

"Sure, Sue. What is it?" I asked.

"This isn't really easy for me to ask, I'm not even sure how to say this right," She stated, staring at her hands folded in her lap.

"Whatever you need, Sue. All you have to do is ask," I said apprehensively.

She took a deep breath before beginning. "Well, as you know, I am a member of the Quileute council. Taking over for Harry after he died…"

"Yes, I know that," I answered when she didn't continue.

"When I became a member, I found out what Seth and Leah had become - and I found out about everything…" I nodded in response, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"The whole time that Harry was alive, I knew there was something going on that he wouldn't tell me about… then the changes started happening with Seth, then with Leah. They became even more distant from me than any normal pre-adults do with their mothers. I hated being kept in the dark like that, constantly being lied to…" she looking up at me now as she spoke. I nodded in understanding. That reminded me of what I went through with Jacob when he changed.

"I don't want that kind of relationship to happen between Charlie and me," she stated, pleading in her voice and face.

Realization of what she was getting at dawned on me when her words sank in. I looked at her with worry and shock playing on my face. She looked down at her hands again, waiting nervously for my reaction. I was speechless.

"I don't want to lie to him," she closed her eyes in pain and shook her head when I didn't answer. "I don't want our relationship filled with lies and mistrust. I can't live like that again."

"You want to tell him everything?" I asked, dumbfounded, when I finally found my voice.

"I want to take him to a council meeting and tell him all of our stories and legends," she clarified in a more firm voice. "I want him to know what he is getting himself into by marrying me."

"But he's not a Quileute, and you didn't imprint on him," I stated the obvious, shaking my head in disbelief of what I was hearing.

"Neither were you when Jacob brought you to one," she replied, looking up at me know

"True, but that's not the same," I answered thoughtfully. "I already knew what was going on, and Jacob had that pull to me because he was destined to be with my daughter though no one yet knew that was possible."

"I know," she said, shaking her head. "But nevertheless, you were there as an outsider, as a 'pale face'. I want Charlie to have that as well. It's not fair to him, or to me and my kids to have to live a lie."

"I'm living that lie with him already, Sue," I stated. "And as much as I hate it, and I would very much like to tell him everything, I know that I can't put him in danger like that. And plus," I added, "he already knows about werewolves existing, thanks to Jacob. So you wouldn't need to live that much of a lie."

"I still want to tell him, Bella," she stated, almost whispered. "I believe he's ready to finally hear the truth."

"Then why are you telling me all of this?" I asked, suddenly even more curious about her reasoning. I knew this was what I wanted all along for Charlie, to be able to tell him the truth. I also knew that Edward wouldn't approve, and neither would the rest of the family -- Edward didn't even want me to find out.

Now the opportunity to do so was right in front of me and I was turning her away. What was wrong with me?

"Bella, do you remember our stories?" she asked.

I had to think for a minute. The memories were faint, blurry, and human. The only story I really remembered clearly, and never forgot, was that of the third wife. The sacrifice that she made to try and end the war between her people and the …

"Oh…" I suddenly realized what she was talking about.

"When Charlie hears our legends, he's going to find out about the 'cold ones', about you," she stated, looking into my shocked, scared, golden eyes.

My memories suddenly came back to me full force: the beach trip with my high school friends … meeting Jacob at First beach in La Push … desperately trying to flirt with him to get him to tell me more about the Cullens and why they weren't allowed on the reservation. Little did he know at the time that he had just told me about one of their 'superstitious' legends, and that the Cullens were really vampires.

"I've already asked Jacob about this, Bella," Sue continues through my stunned thoughts. "He agrees with me in telling Charlie our stories. He already knows about our biggest secret - and has for a year now, he should be able to handle everything else now too."

"Jacob's in on this?" I asked, breaking out of my reverie. I was stunned, and angry, that my best friend would keep this from me.

"He told me to talk to you about this first," she nodded, oblivious to my mood toward Jacob right now. "He won't do this without your approval."

Of course Jacob would say that. He already knew, along with the rest of my family, how badly I've wanted to tell my father the truth about me and Renesmee. This was my opportunity to do just that , and Jacob was giving it to me.

"I understand completely where you are coming from, Sue, you have to believe me," I stated, nodding and giving her a warm smile. "But I think I need to talk to Jacob, Carlisle and Edward about this together before we decide anything."

Sue silently nodded in response.

"I really appreciate you telling me this," I added, getting up from the arm chair I was sitting on to sit next to her on the couch and giving her a one-armed hug as I continued. "I have thought about telling Charlie the truth since Renesmee was born, and after he first saw us. But I never had the opportunity, and it would be too dangerous for him to know.

"My life certainly got more life-threatening after I found out," I laughed at the faint memories of my human life after I moved to Forks.

"Yes, I remember hearing about those adventures you had," she chuckled lightly. "But I know that he will be safer with both of our families working together now, and combined like we will be."

"I understand that - and you're not the first person to tell me either. But lets wait and see what Carlisle and Edward think before we get ahead of ourselves," I told her. She nodded in agreement.

_~End Chapter~_

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**AN: **Well? What do you think about this new revelation concerning Charlie? Sue's thoughts and actions, and also Bella's confused, yet rational reaction? Like it, hate it, undecided … please, let me know! :D

Thank you to all of my fabulous reviewers! I love you all!


	12. Meeting

**AN:** Thank you to Somah for being my wonderful beta throughout this story! Enjoy!

I do not own.

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Chapter 12: 'Meeting'

"Bella, I may not be able to influence your emotions, but I can still feel them," Jasper told me when I walked in the living room and sat down on the fluffy white couch. Jasper and Emmett were playing one of their favorite video games. Jasper paused it as I came in, feeling my mood. I gave him a faint smile.

"What's wrong, Bells?" Emmett asked when he looked up from the now paused game to where I now sat. "You haven't looked like that since last year when Charlie first came to see you."

I gave a quick laugh at his surprisingly accurate observation of my face. I'm sure I did look the same . I was certainly still worried about my father, and having him know the whole truth about me brought back that same worry I had just last year.

"You're right, Em," I confirmed. "Charlie is what I'm worried about."

"That's not worry I'm feeling, Bella," Jasper said. "At least not all of it. You're angry and confused about something also."

"What happened, Bella?" Emmett asked, completely forgetting about the paused video game and focusing on trying to make me feel better. "What can we help with?"

"Nothing happened, at least not yet," I answered. "I can't talk about it right now, sorry guys."

Jasper nodded in understanding. Emmett looked confused, slightly opening and closing his mouth several times so fast - only vampire eyes could catch it - as if to ask for more detail, but decided better of it. I smiled my thanks at them both. I loved my brothers, but this wasn't a conversation I wanted to have with them yet, at least not directly.

No conversation is private in this house, unless of course you are lucky enough to have the house to yourselves. I've been told several times by Edward that there are no secrets in this family, and I've found out for myself several times over the past year to be very true. But I do know, the best kept secret in this family are the thoughts that run through my head, unless I so choose to let them loose.

"Where are Edward, Carlisle, Jacob and Renesmee?" I asked, changing the subject. "The house is oddly quiet right now."

"Carlisle is in his office, and I think Jake and Edward are at the cottage playing with Nessie," Jasper answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," I said thoughtfully. I had just come home from talking with Sue, and needed some advice about what was going to happen. I still wasn't happy with Jacob for going behind my back on this, and I knew I wasn't ready to face him yet, no matter how justified he might've been for doing it.

"Thanks guys. Sorry for interrupting your game," I said, getting up from the couch to go talk to Carlisle.

"No problem, Bells. Interrupt any time," Emmett called after me as I headed up the stairs, the sounds of a quickly un-paused video game following me.

Before I had gone to talk to Sue, Alice, Rose and Esme all went out shopping with Tanya, Kate and Tia, while Benjamin and Garrett went on a short hunting trip together. Eleazar and Carmen had already gone back to Denali -- So the house was completely deserted from any prying ears that might overhear my conversation with Carlisle, aside form Jasper and Emmett who, though preoccupied with their game, could probably still hear anyway.

"Come in, Bella," Carlisle said through the door just as I was about to knock. Of course he knew I was coming, he could hear everything that was happening downstairs.

I opened the door and quickly stepped inside to find my father-in-law lounging at his desk with a tattered medical book in his hands.

I walked to an empty chair opposite him as he carefully placed the book on the desk and sat up.

"What can I help you with, Bella?" he asked when I hadn't said anything. I just sat there, trying to think of what I wanted to say. He didn't try to pry into my thoughts with questions or push me into talking, that was one of the things I respected about Carlisle, he was always patient and let us talk and explain when we were ready too.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath before I finally spoke. "I need to talk to you about something that's been bothering me for some time now."

He nodded for me to continue.

"I was just at Sue's, talking about the wedding," I started to explain. "Then she told me that she wanted to tell Charlie the truth about the pack, and all of their legends before they get married. She doesn't want to live a lie with him anymore."

"That is understandable, Bella. But there's more worrying you about it isn't there?"

"Yes, because it was through those legends that I found out about you all being vampires. Charlie would find out about us, about me."

"Ah, yes, that would certainly be cause for concern."

"I just don't know what to do. Jacob's in on this too. Sue already talked to him about having a council meeting, and he agrees with her in telling Charlie. But he knows how mixed I feel about this and Charlie. He won't do it unless I want him to."

"It sounds like you need to be talking to Jacob about this instead of me."

"Yes, I know. I just need some advice. Should we tell Charlie the truth, or continue lying to him?" I knew what I wanted to do, what I wanted to hear, but I also knew that it wasn't my call to make. This wouldn't just affect me, but my whole family.

"The one rule we must keep as vampires, Bella, is to keep the secret. However, you did find out about us - what we are - when you were human. Your father already knows more than he should about us and about the pack, just by being allowed to see you. It's only a matter of time before he finds out the truth," Carlisle stated, looking in my eyes as he spoke.

"I know you're right, and I want him to know. I hate lying to him. But I also remember what it was like for me after I found out."

"But this is not you - a clumsy, "danger magnet" seventeen year old - we are talking about, Bella. This is your father," Carlisle stated, using air quotes with his hands and he described how human-Bella was. "I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do regarding this. I won't do that. But I will support you in whatever you decide."

"Thanks, Carlisle." But that really didn't help me make up my mind.

"It sounds like Jacob has made the decision up to you whether or not the council meeting happens," he questioned, breaking me out of my stupor.

"Yes, he did," I nodded in confirmation, worried, but keeping my face blank.

"Bella, I know how badly you want to tell your father. I also know that if anything were to threaten him, our family and the pack will be able to protect him … together." He looked at me sympathetically, seeing my worry painted on my face. I couldn't hide it any longer and I felt my face crumple slightly.

I nodded. He was right, Charlie would have more protection than I did if anything does happen. The Volturi came to my mind before James and Victoria did. I shuddered as the memories of my trip to Italy and Phoenix.

"When you were human," he continued. "We were fighting to protect you not only from others of our kind, but also from the wolves.

"However, the treaty that once was, is not longer between this family and the Quileute pack." Carlisle stated with a smug smile on his face. I already knew this, but to have it said by Carlisle, the patriarch of this family, put a smile on my face as well.

"So, do you think we would be able to tell him together? Could we be present at the council meeting?" I asked, hopeful.

"I think we need to talk to Jacob about that, but it wouldn't hurt to try," he nodded as I pulled out my phone, pushing Edward's number on the speed-dial. I wanted to talk to him now, get this over with.

"Bella?" Edward answered on the first ring.

"Edward, I'm fine," I reassured him. I could hear him exhale into the receiver. He always worries about me when we're apart, and I rarely call him on the cell phones. "I'm at the house talking to Carlisle. Can you come, and bring Jake? We need to talk to you both."

"We're on our way. What's this about, love?"

"I'll explain when you get here. I love you."

"Okay, I love you too," Edward said before hanging up.

Within seconds, Edward and Jacob arrived at the house quickly dropping Renesmee off to play with Emmett and Jasper in the living room while we had our grown-up talk.

Edward walked in first with a blank look on his face. As soon as he came to sit next to me at the desk, pulling me in a quick hug and lightly giving me a kiss, his expression turned to knowing and concern.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked, taking my hand in his as he settled in the chair next to me.

"I'm fine," I replied. I could tell that he was getting a recap of our conversation from Carlisle, and I could already guess that Jake had already told him everything that Sue had talked to me about.

When Jacob came in the office, I turned to glare at him. He slowly moved further into the room toward us, keeping his eyes on me as he stood at the opposite end of the desk from where I sat, keeping Edward between us. He knew he was in trouble with me for keeping this from me.

"I'm sorry, Bells," Jacob apologized before I could say anything. "Sue wanted to tell you herself. I promised I wouldn't tell you anything before she had a chance to talk to you first."

"I understand that Jacob. But a little warning would've been nice." I continued to glare at him.

"So what's the plan with the council meeting?" Edward asked before Jacob could respond to my statement.

"I told Sue that she needed to talk to Bella about telling Charlie first," Jacob explained. "I understand why she wants Charlie to know our legends, but I won't do it without Bella's approval. Because Charlie will find out everything about all of us, and I know how important keeping your secret is to you. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that … again."

"That's very considerate of you, Jacob," Carlisle said. "Thank you for your concern."

Jake nodded.

"I still don't like it," Edward said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand, while he held onto mine with the other. "You all know my opinion about this. Charlie can't know about us, not more than he already does."

"Edward," I said in a calm, quiet voice. I knew very well that he didn't want any other humans to know our secret. One was enough - and that was me. "I know, but he's going to find out eventually anyway. You know how much I hate lying to him; I want to tell him, I want him to know. Now that he's marrying Sue, she wants him to know just as much as I do, if not more. She can't lie to him either, she can't live like that again. We both know how important true honesty is to any relationship."

Edward nodded, but continued with this losing battle. He could never win an argument against me where my wishes were concerned, and he knew it but pressed on anyway until there was no fight left in him and he gave up trying. It never seemed to take long.

"I understand that, love. But I still don't like it, and I don't approve of telling him either. Think of the danger that he would be in when he finds out. I know you remember that well, you think of it often." Edward stared in my eyes as he spoke, pleading with me to see this from his view. I wasn't budging.

"I do remember," I sighed, but held my ground. "But talking to Carlisle helped me realize that this isn't me we're talking about. This is Charlie. I was the danger magnet, remember? Plus, he'll not only have us protecting him, but the pack as well. That is, if there is any threat on his life. Besides, there are other humans who know about us, and they are all fine." My thoughts went back to when I first met Emily, Sam's new wife and imprint; then to the other imprints who were at the bonfire and council meeting Jake invited me to. They were all human; they all knew vampires existed, and they knew that I was dating one. They all called me the "vampire girl".

"She does have a point, Edward," Jacob agreed. "We can protect him, like I've said before."

"Carlisle, you're being awfully quiet," Edward turned toward his father, probably looking for support for his side. "What do you think about this?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, son," Carlisle spoke, first looking at Edward, and then turning toward Jacob. "This is Bella's father, it should be her decision. I will fully support her in what she chooses, and will be there with her through the choice."

"And I have chosen," I said matter-of-factly. Carlisle's words had given me fresh hope and confidence for what I wanted to say, I knew this was right. "I want Charlie to know. I refuse to lie to him anymore. He's bound to find out anyway, and I don't want him to find out about me, Renesmee, or any of us from anyone else. I want to be the one to tell him."

I watched Edward's face as I spoke, looking only at him as if he were the only one in the room. He remained calm while listening to my words, although his face was slightly pained.

"You know I can't say no to you, love," he whispered. "I understand where you're coming from, but I'm also worried about Charlie's reaction."

"I know my father, Edward," I stated, nodding. "He will be fine, a little shocked, but he will get over it. He's a strong man. Besides, he's taken to Renesmee quite well even though she's changing every day."

"Yes, he has done that," Edward chuckled.

"I know the legends," I said turning toward Jake. He was forgiven now, I couldn't be mad at him for long anymore, and never have been. "And I don't want him to get the wrong impression of us being vampires -- of me being a vampire. Can we all be there at the meeting to tell him then and there?"

"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, Bells," Jake said thoughtfully, smiling to himself - he knew he was off the hook with me. "Some of our legends have changed, and new ones have been made due to recent developments. I'm sure you all would be interested in hearing them, considering they do involve our family - Nessie and I included."

"We would be honored to be there, Jacob," Carlisle stated, giving Jake a warm smile. "Thank you."

_~End Chapter~_

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AN: Any feedback I get from you lovely readers is a huge help! Please, don't hesitate to press that big review button and leave a comment or two. Let me know what you think of Carlisle's conversation with Bella, and Edward's reaction and concern. I really want to know! Thank you!


	13. Practice Makes Perfect

**AN: **Chapter 13! It's a long one! :D We are back to Bella's powers, then it's back to Charlie! But, I'm thinking this won't be the last time we will see Bella using her powers! ;) Enjoy!

Thank you so much to my beta: Somah! She's really amazing

**Special note:** Due to the power's Bella is using in this chapter - Jane's power of torture - I am changing the rating of this story due to the minor violence. I'm sorry if this affects some of my readers, but it is just a precaution.

I do not own Twilight, I just really like playing with the characters! It all belongs to the great and wonderful Stephanie Meyer!

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Chapter 13: 'Practice Makes Perfect'

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, we were all lounging around the house, enjoying each others company and doing our own things before Tanya, Kate and Garrett left to go back to Denali. Benjamin and Tia decided to join them for the holidays before continuing with their traveling.

Alice was upstairs with Kate, Tanya and Tia, putting on her own little fashion show with the clothes they had just bought on their last shopping trip. Alice was enjoying playing with her new life-size Barbie dolls since she couldn't get me to willingly cooperate with her and Renesmee would occasionally take after me, and get tired of playing dress up with Alice.

Carlisle had left earlier for work at the hospital, and Esme could be found in her office making changes to her blueprints on her many restoration projects she was working on. For once, she wasn't flitting about the house cleaning everything.

Rosalie was out in the garage working on all of the cars - her favorite pastime. Jacob brought over his old Rabbit for her to look at. That was the one thing they both had in common, and the one exception to their little feud against each other. She was helping him restore it so that it would run faster and work better than an old junker he had built.

Edward was playing his piano with Renesmee snuggled next to him on the bench. They both had huge smiles on their faces as he played her lullaby for her over and over again. That's all she wanted to hear, and it warmed my heart to watch him play with her as her face lit up in excitement. He would give her everything she wanted just to make her happy.

Occasionally he would play my lullaby in between songs with a loving look on his face directed towards me. When he did this, I would smile and send him kisses through the air from where I sat in an arm chair in the living room, reading one of my favorite books. I was enjoying listening and watching him spend time with our daughter. I could see and feel the love rolling off of them when they were together - I didn't need Jasper's ability to know that, even though he was constantly spreading it throughout the house.

Jasper and Benjamin were on the couch watching and flipping through channels on the TV, while Emmett and Garrett sat on the love-seat watching me with silly grins on their faces. They would look away and giggle like silly little school girls when they caught me glancing at them. I know what they wanted, and they were waiting for me to ask, hoping that it would be before the Denali's went home.

I still needed to practice my other two powers. I knew, with these last two powers, the more people to practice on, the better. Talking to Edward earlier about it, he had agreed with me and recommended that I practice soon before they left.

I gave a quick smile and wink to Emmett and Garrett before getting up from my chair. I could hear their excited squeals as I left the room. I wanted to do this soon, but I didn't want Renesmee to see this. Edward looked up from the piano and nodded his head in acknowledgment, he understood what I was going to do.

We had made plans earlier for Renesmee to spend time with Charlie and Sue so that I could practice without her watching. Charlie was more than willing to have his granddaughter with him, no questions asked as to what was going on. Even though he would be at the station for most of the day, he never minded and neither did his deputies. They all loved Renesmee and enjoyed the company of a well behaved toddler.

"Hey, Jake," I called through the open doorway to the garage.

"Yeah, Bells. What's up?" he answered from under to Rabbit that was propped up on jacks. Both he and Rose were working under it.

"Edward's going to take Renesmee over to Charlie's now. Would you mind helping with something while she's gone?"

He wheeled himself out from under the car and sat up with a questioning look on his face. I knew he couldn't stand not being around her at all times - or at least not under the same roof, even if he knew where she would be.

"Umm … yea, sure, Bells," he said. "I could take her if you want, then come back."

He had a disappointed and slightly pained expression on his face at the thought of not taking her himself.

I shook my head and tried to comfort him as I spoke.

"No, that's alright, Jake. It'll only be for a few hours. You'll be fine. Let Edward spend more time with her." He closed his eyes and nodded.

Getting up from his position on the floor, he made his way through the mess of cars and tools that were spread throughout the garage floor. Rosalie continued working, unfazed by our conversation.

"Alright, just let me say goodbye before they leave." I nodded and followed him towards the piano while Edward was just finishing her lullaby again.

As Edward and Renesmee left, I turned my attention to the boys sitting in the living room.

"Emmett? Garrett?" I called

"Yeah, Bella? What do you need?" Garrett asked, acting like he didn't know what was coming as he got up from his spot on the love-seat.

"Would you two mind helping me practice again?" They both smiled widely at me and nodded enthusiastically.

I turned to Jacob, who stood behind me, a look of curiosity playing on his face. "This is why I wanted you to stay," I told him. "I could use more help this time. Would you be willing to be a victim for me?"

"Of course, Bella. I'll do anything to help you out, you know that," Jake nodded. I could still see in his eyes he was still confused about something. I knew exactly what that was.

"This is not something I want Renesmee to ever see. It almost killed me to watch it happen to Edward. I don't want to put Renesmee through that, especially this young. Not if I can help it," I told him, placing my hands on his broad shoulders and looking him in the eyes.

He nodded, closing his eyes, the hurt expression no longer evident on his face but was now covered by a look of calm understanding. "I know, Bells. I understand, thank you."

I gave his shoulders a light squeeze and nodded before letting go and turning toward the couch. "Jasper? Would you mind helping also? The more people, the better," I asked.

Jasper looked up from the TV and was about to answer before Alice bounded down the stairs, landing between me and her husband, a look of concern and worry plastered in her eyes.

"What is it, Alice? What's wrong?" I asked. Everyone in the room froze by her sudden actions.

"Bella, no! You can't, I won't let you hurt him," she gasped, shaking her head frantically. "I can't watch that either. Not Jasper."

While Alice spoke, Jasper approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, cradling her into his chest. "Alice, Darlin'. Shh… Everything's going to be fine," he cooed in her ear. "She wont hurt me, I'll be fine."

"But I don't know that. I can't see that clearly." She turned into his chest as she spoke, burying her face.

"Alice, I promise. I won't hurt him," I told her in a calm voice. "But I do need to practice and I could really use the help." It wasn't easy to try using the guilt trip on Alice, most of the time she was using it on me, but this time it seemed to actually work.

They finally broke apart and Alice turned to me and nodded. "Alright, go practice, Bella."

"Thanks, Darlin'," Jasper said to her, giving her a little hug before letting her go and turning to me with a smile playing on his lips. "I'd love to help, Bella."

"Thanks, Jasper, and Alice," I nodded to them both as I made my way to the glass doors and outside.

By now, everyone in the house had made it down to the living room to see what the fuss was all about. Benjamin and Tia were the first to follow us out after Jasper and Alice. Emmett, Garrett and Jacob were already waiting for us. Rosalie followed close behind, always enthralled to see Emmett get beat up by me. Kate stood by Rosalie, they both shared the same expression on their faces, but Kate looked more worried not knowing what I was going to do, or even what I could do with these powers. Carlisle and Esme stood with Tanya on the deck by the doorway - not wanting to take part, but still curious to see what I could do.

On the way outside, I walked slower than normal, more at a human pace. Trying to think about what I was going to do. It dawned on me that I really had no idea how Jane and Alec used their powers. I had nothing to go off of to try and figure out how to make it work, to even see if it's at all similar. I could not very well go and ask them either, like I had with Zafrina, and I'm sure it wouldn't be as easy as Chelsea's was.

I thought a little harder on what I did know about them, what I observed when I did see them in action.

There have been three times that I've seen Jane use her ability: the first was in Italy when she tortured Edward in front of me then turned to do the same to me; the second was right after Victoria's newborn army tried to kill me, when she tortured the newborn girl who surrendered to us before killing her; and the third was last December when she tried and failed again to do the same to my family and friends, and to me. Thanks to my shield, it didn't work like she had hoped or expected, which made her even more pissed at me. That was also when Edward and everyone else found out just what my shield was capable of.

I smiled at the memory of his reaction.

But I had to think harder, what made Jane tick? I knew what Jane was capable of, I also knew that she could only use her ability on one person at a time - concentrating on only them, but when that concentration was broken, that person went back to normal again - or as normal as they were before. Those times that I saw her, she seemed to be extremely angry, but also happy to be able to inflict mental pain - like she enjoyed every second of using her power. And the more she tried using it on me, the angrier and less happy she got, with the fact that it didn't work.

Was that the key to unlocking her power? Anger? But would it work that way for me? Would I have to be angry like that, or at least in a state of mind to actually enjoy the torture? Could I do that now, just to practice? I didn't know how to answer these questions that ran through my head right now, but there's only one way to figure it out.

But what about Alec? He was the biggest mystery next to Jane. I've only seen his power once, and even then it still didn't work right for him, thanks again to my shield. But to actually see the affects of his ability - the haze that formed and slowly spread - was incredible.

But seeing what he could do wasn't the same as knowing how it worked. Edward had said that Alec was used as the antidote to Jane - like an anesthetic when they're being generous to their victims. But the biggest mystery behind Alec was his facial expression. When he used his ability, his face was completely composed and void of any emotion to give away what he was feeling or thinking to make it work, unlike Jane who just looked pure evil, yet angelic. I couldn't ask Jasper what he was feeling because he wasn't there at the time. Although, I could ask Edward, that is if he heard Alec. There were about a hundred or so minds in that field that day, and at the time we were getting mentally attacked from all sides.

I do however remember what it tasted like when Alec's haze hit my shield; a dense, sweet cloying flavor. It was like Novocain numbing my mouth. That was what I had to work with, now I needed to figure out how to use it.

When I came out of my thoughts, I was standing in the middle of the backyard. Emmett and Garrett were standing in front of me to my left, while Jasper and Jacob stood to my right. They were all spread some distance apart like they would try to attack me from all sides if they really wanted to, and looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to do something. Edward wasn't back yet and our spectators were circled behind me waiting patiently for something to happen.

"Everything all right, Bells?" Emmett jabbed. He was getting bored. I had no idea how long they had been standing there, waiting for me to finish my thought process.

"You're nervous," Jasper said, it was more of a statement than a question. He was reading everything I was feeling, yet unable to help unless I wanted him to. "You don't have to do this right now if you're not ready."

I gave him a weak smile but nodded. "I'm fine. I want to do this now. I was just thinking about how I was going to use these powers."

"Well, the best way to figure it out is to practice," Garrett exclaimed bouncing where he stood impatiently. "Practice makes perfect. Let's do this!"

I couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm in getting tortured. I also heard giggling behind me from several others; one of them I knew was Kate.

"What did I miss?" I heard Edward's voice as he came around the side of the house, a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh, nothing much," Kate explained between giggles. "Just Bella deep in thought and Garrett over-excited about getting tortured."

"Oh I would've loved to hear those thoughts of yours, love," Edward said as he came up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a quick kiss.

"Get a room!" Emmett called. We both turned our heads to face him, glaring death rays in his direction. Everyone laughed at his outburst.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen," Rosalie scolded from behind us. If she had been standing next to him he would've received a smack to the head for that remark. He coward at his full name being used by his wife. I mentally thanked Rose.

"Don't worry, Rose," I said to her. "I'll get him back for that."

Edward chuckled at my side and gave another peck on my cheek, daring Emmett to say more, before letting me go.

"I'll be right here if you need me," Edward said, standing a few feet beside me. "Whenever you're ready, love."

I nodded toward him with a straight face. I needed to concentrate now.

I quickly threw out my shield and hardened it into the brick wall so that the six of us were enclosed in it.

Immediately, I could see the connections everyone had to one another: the thick unbreakable chain between Edward and I, the thick string connecting Emmett and Jasper to me, as well as Edward, along with the thin flexible string connecting us all to Garrett.

I also noticed the connection we all had to Jacob. The thin flexible string to Garrett, the thick string to Emmett and Jasper, as well as another chain, presumably unbreakable as well to both Edward and I, but only half as thick as Edward's was to me. I could only assume that the chain existed because of his relationship with Renesmee and the fact that he's our future son-in-law, but I couldn't help but think it could also be because he is my best friend, my best man - his connection to me compared to Edwards was also slightly thinner.

I pushed that thought to the back of my head. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I could ask about that detail later.

Further behind Jacob I could see Leah and Seth sitting at the edge of the tree line, waiting to see what we were doing. They were still in wolf form, but I could still see their worried expressions for Jacob on their faces. I knew they only waited there because Jake had told them to stand down. They would probably be frantic when they saw what I had planned for Jake, but I knew as well as Jake, that being outside the shield, they couldn't do anything but watch. This was going to be interesting.

I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes to concentrated better on the individual flavors of my willing victims. I knew what I wanted to do to them. I knew Rose didn't care what I did to Emmett, and I wanted to make him suffer for his comments. Kate was the same about Garrett, he deserved whatever came to him. Alice on the other hand was frantic about whatever she saw me doing to Jasper, there were only two options and I could easily see for myself what she saw - either Jasper writhing in pain on the ground, which I knew is what scared her, or Jasper totally senseless, standing motionless and statuesque, both deaf and blind. I didn't have anything against Jasper, and I did ask for his help, so I could only hope the second option would bring some sort of relief for him from his own power as well - if it worked that way at all.

When it came to Jacob, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Even though I did forgive him for going behind my back with Charlie, still I wanted him to pay. But not only for that, but because he also imprinted on my baby. Now, I know I've let him live after I found out, and I do understand that it can't be controlled when it happens, but the tiny urge to rip out his throat when he ogles over her is always there, and I know Edward feels that was too, if not more than I do. This was payback for not being able to kill him a year ago. No holding back now. Plus, this was also a way to see how this works on werewolves.

When thinking about payback for Emmett and Jake, something inside me clicked. I understood now how Jane felt -- anger toward the victim but at the same time, a thrill to be able to inflict punishment and pain.

I concentrated on Emmett first, to test the waters so to speak. Tasting his flavor, feeling his light, I smiled at him and thought of the torture I was about to inflict upon him. In a split second, Emmett was writhing on the ground, unable to hold in the screams of mental agony like Edward did that night in Volterra. This was hard to watch, but even harder to look away as I was shocked at how fast and well it worked.

Instantly Edward tensed at my side as everyone turned to where Emmett was suddenly curled in a ball on the grass. Gasps could be heard from all around. Esme's whimpering for her son was the loudest, but she made no movement to comfort him - both knowing that she wouldn't be able to reach him and also because she knew deep down that he wasn't really in any harm. I could see Leah and Seth standing now, hunched in defense mode at what they were now witnessing.

As I focused less on Emmett now writhing and screaming out in the seconds that followed, I knew I could do more than Jane could ever dream about. I turned to Jacob's stunned face and brought his flavor to the forefront of my mind. For a brief second we locked eyes. I gave him a tiny smile, then in another split second, just like Emmett, Jake was curled on a ball on the ground, writhing and moaning in pain as the torture hit his mind.

What happened next no one could've expected. One second he was human, the next his clothes were shredded around him as his body changed into a massive russet-colored wolf form still on the ground writhing and howling in pain, then back to human form curled into a ball screaming out. Back and forth his body changed from human to wolf uncontrollably. Seth and Leah were now charging at my shield and growling as they tried to get in to attack me and save Jacob. Running in to my brick wall every time but never giving up.

As the force attacked Jacob, Jasper staggered away from his body and falling to the ground, clutching his head as he felt everything that not only was happening to Emmett and Jake, but also the shock and confusion from everyone else.

Garrett already stood motionless, only his head moving as he watched what was happening between Emmett, Jake and now Jasper. He was both scared and excited for what I would do to him. He looked at me in anticipation as our eyes locked. I knew what I wanted to do, and I also wanted to give Jasper a tiny bit of relief from one less person - if it helped at all. I wanted to make Garrett feel nothing, absolutely senseless. With that thought, I could not only taste Garrett's flavor, but also the Novocain taste in my mouth. As soon as I tasted it, I sent it to Garrett through the connection we shared, rippling down the thin string. The second I released it, Garrett froze. Standing completely motionless with his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His face was completely blank in tranquility.

Jasper visibly relaxed a fraction, but it wasn't by much. Alice was whimpering and sobbing hysterically behind me, Rose and Kate restraining her so she wouldn't try to go to him. Esme was sobbing also for both her sons, and also for Jacob, but she quickly busied herself by running into the house and returning with a bundle in her hands for Jake to cover up with when he recovered from my attack.

Edward was wincing at my side as he monitored the thoughts around him. He quickly grabbed my hand, pleading with his eyes for me to do something. I looked over to Jasper just as he looked at me, also pleading for help. As our eyes locked, I mouthed "I'm sorry", he nodded once in response. The second I sent the Novocain-like flavor rippling through our connection, Jasper was motionless where he was crouched in the ground, a statue frozen in time with his hands still clenched against his head. Just as Garrett's did, Jasper's eyes rolled back as his face became peaceful and blank. His own ability was no match against this, and for that I was grateful.

Both Alice and Edward relaxed as Jasper sat frozen. I let out a sigh of relief that it worked for him. Rose and Kate let Alice go as she too fell to the ground with sighs of relief. Esme hugged Carlisle and she continued to watch her sons, still worried about them like any mother would be. I gave her a small smile in understanding of how she felt, being a mother myself. Carlisle watched, trying to keep a strong face for Esme, but also watching with disbelief and wonder at what I was capable of. Tia and Benjamin also watched with wonder and amazement.

Turning back to my victims, both writhing in pain and standing still as a statue, I quickly released them from my power - all except Jasper. Emmett recovered first, quickly getting to his feet and looking around to the others with a curious face.

"Whoa," he breathed as he turned to me and smiled. "That was intense."

Garrett recovered next, not a second after Emmett, falling to the ground in a heap from his senses returning suddenly. For that I was glad Jasper was already on the ground.

"That was freaky, Bella," he said as he slowly got back to his feet.

Jacob took longer to recover. He stopped writhing in his wolf form, for that we were all thankful. He lay there for a little while as Leah and Seth relaxed on the other side of the shield. They must've been bombarding him with their thoughts. Edward tensed then relaxed at my side before Jake got up and turned toward me. His eyes were still hard but not angry.

"Are you okay, Jake?" I asked tentatively.

He blinked and nodded his answer as he sat on his hind legs.

"He doesn't want to change back until you remove the shield, that way he can change in private," Edward explained. I nodded to them both in understanding.

"Thanks, Jake," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that would happen."

"That's alright. Neither did I," Edward translated, perfectly imitating Jake's voice. Jake nodded his massive head as Edward spoke for him.

"I've got a change of clothes here for you, Jacob," Esme called from the deck where she stood with Carlisle.

Jake turned his head to her and nodded. "Thanks, Esme," Edward translated again.

Edward then turned toward me, giving my hand a light squeeze. "You can let Jasper go now, love."

"Is everyone alright? I don't want to overwhelm him with too many emotions right away. I don't want that to happen again," I asked, looking from Edward to Alice as I spoke.

She looked up at me and nodded. "It's alright, Bella. He'll be fine."

I turned back to Jasper and released him, pushing the taste of Novocain completely out of my mouth. At the same time I pulled my shield back to where it belongs in my head.

"The shield's down now," I whispered to Edward, giving his own hand a squeeze. "Thank you for helping."

Alice rushed to Jasper's side as he recovered from his statue form, collapsing in her arms with a sigh. They just sat there holding each other. We turned to give them more privacy.

Esme hurried over the Jake to give him the bundle in her arms, tucking it under the strap around his hind leg before he turned to the forest. He returned seconds later fully dressed in one of Emmett's shirts and shorts - his were the only clothes that would fit.

"Thanks again, Esme," he said giving her a small hug before turning toward Edward and I. "Thanks, Bells, for not allowing Nessie to be here. I'm really glad she didn't see that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get her. I don't want to be away from her for another minute."

"That's fine, Jake. Take your time," Edward nodded his consent. I smiled and nodded my own as he took off to the garage. Within seconds we heard his car flying down the driveway as Leah and Seth disappeared into the forest behind him.

Rose and Kate made their way to their husbands as soon as my shield was down. They were all smiles as they passed me. They approved what I did to them. When they reached their boys, they each embraced one another before turning back toward Edward and I, and back to the house.

"Thanks, Bella," Rosalie exclaimed. "I think he's learned his lesson not to mess with you too much anymore. I give you full permission to do that again if he ever does though," she added with a wink.

"Gee, thanks Rose. Love you too, babe," Emmett complained as they passed, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "That was awesome though, Bella." His face changed into a smile toward me. Both Edward and I laughed at him.

"I agree with Rose," Kate said as they followed Rose and Emmett to the house. A wide, amused smile on her face as she looked from me to Garrett, who was leaning on her arm.

"That was really cool, Bella," Garrett exclaimed, ignoring Kate's statement. "I couldn't feel, see, hear or smell anything. I couldn't move, even if I wanted to.

"Yeah, you should've seen yourself, Garrett," I laughed. "You were just like a real statue with your eyes rolled into you head. You actually looked quite peaceful."

"Ah man, wish I could've seen that. Without Nessie here, you should've had a camera ready, Kate," he said as they entered the house.

Alice and Jasper finally got up from their spot on the grass as Edward and I made our way to the deck where Carlisle, Esme, Tia and Benjamin stood.

"Thank you, Bella," Jasper said when they too joined us, giving me a smile as Alice wrapped her arms lovingly around him.

"For what?" I asked, confused. "I made you suffer with the rest of them. That wasn't what I wanted at all."

"Yes, but that also couldn't be helped," he chuckled. "Thank you though, for the relief, even if it was only temporary. You have no idea how wonderful that felt to be able to feel nothing at all."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help," I smiled. "Thanks for helping me practice, though. I'm sorry I scarred you Alice." I added as I turned my gaze to her face. She glared at me for a split second then smiled herself.

"It's okay, Bella. I'm sorry too for freaking out earlier. I should've known that you had the best intentions when asking him for his help, but I didn't like what I saw happening." I nodded to her, accepting her apology as she continued. "Would you mind if we borrowed your cottage for a while? We need a break from that emotional meltdown."

Jasper chuckled once at her words as Edward answered. "No problem, Alice. Take as much time as you need to relax. We'll just stay here for a while."

They both nodded and disappeared into the forest toward our home.

Then Benjamin tapped my shoulder. When I turned, he had a curious grin on his face. Tia looked worried, but otherwise calm as he spoke.

"Hey, Bella. Do you mind practicing on me? I know, I may sound like an idiot by asking, but after seeing what happened to Jacob, I'm curious what would happen if that was done to me. Not that I want to, or would ever get into a confrontation with Jane, but just in case, it's good to know."

"Umm… Yea, sure, Ben," I said, dumbfounded by his willingness as I turned toward Edward. He nodded with a look in his eyes that told me it would be alright.

"I'm curious about that too," Carlisle spoke up. "You bring up a good point. I have to say, what happened to Jacob was certainly unexpected."

Tia gave Ben a kiss on the cheek as he turned to the middle of the lawn, far enough away from everything else just in case something did happen.

Carlisle, Esme and Tia stood back against the house to watch and Edward stayed next to me this time as I threw out my shield once more, hardening it as it formed completely.

I instantly tasted his flavor and felt his light as it was only he and Edward under the shield. But I had to concentrate harder this time because I really had no intention of torturing Ben. It was definitely easier with Emmett and Jake because I wanted them to pay. I wanted to torture them, but Ben had done nothing to me or my family to deserve this. That made me wonder how Jane did this on a whim, how she could just do this on command without knowing the victim.

_I can do this, _I thought to myself asI focused back to Ben standing before me. I thought of causing him pain, or the torture I could inflict. In that instant, he fell to the ground, screaming out at the sudden onslaught of pain.

As he rolled on the ground, a small crack in the grass grew between his body and us, turning into a small canyon, steadily growing bigger and longer as it snaked its way around his body. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew around us like a tornado had touched down around us. Everyone tensed in the gust of wind as Rose, Emmett, Kate and Garrett came out of the house to see what was going on.

Before anything else could happen - I remembered that he could manipulate the Earth, air, water, and lastly fire - I released him and brought my shield back down. As soon as he stopped writhing, the wind stopped howling and the canyon stopped growing. Esme groaned at the damage done to her beautifully manicured lawn. Edward and I did our best to hold back our laughter at Esme's reaction.

When Ben got up, he looked at the ground around him, and heard Esme's groan.

"Oops, sorry, Esme," he said sheepishly. "I can fix that."

With that, he closed his eyes and motioned with his hands toward the ground. As he raised his hands slowly, the canyon closed and fixed itself, looking like nothing happened at all.

"There, all better," he said triumphantly with a huge grin on his face.

We all laughed as he walked back over to us.

"Thanks, Benjamin," Esme whispered. He nodded.

"Well, I have to say, Bella, that was interesting. Remind me never to confront Jane, or get on your bad side ever again -- unless you want something destroyed, of course."

"It wasn't just the small canyon, it also felt like a tornado touched down around us," I explained, his face shocked. "I stopped before anything else could happen, remembering what all you can manipulate. I didn't want to take any chances."

"Nice call," he nodded in disbelief. "I had no idea what all was happening. I could only feel the ground shaking around me, and I didn't know if that was actually because I was shaking or if something was really happening."

"Alright, I think that's enough," Esme said quietly, yet demanding in her motherly tone. "I think that's all I can take for today. We all could use a break from all that excitement."

"I couldn't agree more, Esme," I agreed. She didn't want to see anyone else suffering like that, and neither did I.

"Let's head inside and wait for Jacob and Renesmee to come back home," Edward said, pulling me inside. Everyone chuckled behind us and followed. Edward led me to his piano, sitting me down beside him as he started playing my lullaby. I smiled and closed my eyes as I leaned my head against his shoulder. Everyone else stayed in the living room, listening quietly as Edward worked his magic on the piano and calmed everyone with my song - just like he used to do when I was human to get me to go to sleep.

A few hours later, Jake and Renesmee came home. Instantly Edward switched to Renesmee's lullaby when they came in the room. She jumped out of Jake's arms, much to his dismay, and ran up to me to sit on my lap as Edward played for her. Jake grabbed a chair from the dining room and sat next to us.

When Edward finished playing, he turned to Jake. "Yes, Jake?" he asked, indicating for Jake to speak out loud.

"We were just at my Dad's with Charlie and Sue. He invited you all to spend Thanksgiving with us on the Rez," he explained with a huge smile on his face.

"Please Daddy! Can we go? Please, please, please!" Renesmee begged, jumping from my lap to Edward's arms, wrapping him in a big bear hug Emmett would be proud of.

Edward and I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"You guys go ahead and have fun," Carlisle said from the entryway. He heard Renesmee's exuberance from his office. "We can stay here. Go, enjoy yourselves as a family."

I started to speak up, to tell him that they could come too, that they are our family also. But as I opened my mouth, Carlisle put up his hand to stop me as if he already knew what I wanted to say.

"We don't want to intrude on the tribe too fast, just after the treaty has been resolved. Go spend some time together. Have fun on the beach," he explained, giving us and encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Carlisle," Edward said. "We will."

"Yay! We get to go to the beach!" Renesmee sang as she jumped up and down on Edward's lap, clapping in excitement.

No one could help but to laugh at her excited expression. Her joyous enthusiasm was contagious. Soon everyone in the house was just as happy as she was.

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AN: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you thought of Bella using these last two powers, the most dangerous powers she possesses. What did you think about what happened with Jasper and Jake, and especially Ben? I'd really like to know!

So, if you could, just take a second (or minute) and press that huge green button at the bottom of this screen and let me know, that would be absolutely wonderful. I answer every review I get, so it would also help if you log in!

Okay, I'm done begging now! :P Next up is Thanksgiving in La Push! Yay! :D (FYI: The next chapter may take a little bit longer to post than next week, it's still being beta'd. But I will post it as soon as it's ready to go!)

Thank you to everyone who has put this story on alert and favorites! And to those that are reading outside of the US! It's amazing to see how far my story has reached! :D


	14. Thanksgiving

**AN: **It's Thanksgiving time! Yay!

Well, we are now caught up to everything I currently have written. So, I'm sorry to say, updates are going to take longer than once a week, as this one has been. I actually started writing this chapter about four months ago, it has been a major pain in the butt to write, what with major writers block and nothing wanting to fit right. And on top of all that, this chapter it the longest so far! Lol!

I really hope you all enjoy reading this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **As nice as it would be, I do not own. Thank you SMeyer for creating this universe, and for the use of these wonderful characters!

**Special thanks: **Thank you so much Somah for sticking with me and being patient with me as I write these chapters! You are a very wonderful beta!

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**Chapter 14: 'Thanksgiving'**

"Do you know what I'm most thankful for?" I asked Edward as we strolled barefoot, hand in hand, along First Beach. Jake and Renesmee splashing in the frigid water ahead of us. The clouds overhead were a perfect cover for us to spend the morning on the beach for the first time as a family together.

"What's that, love? What are you most thankful for?" Edward answered, giving me my favorite crooked grin.

"For you," I told him. "I'm thankful that I have you in my life. That I have you for forever. I'm thankful that you gave me Renesmee, my family - our family. Because without you I'm nothing. You gave me life, love and happiness."

"I love you always. Bella Cullen," Edward responded, wrapping me up in his arms, holding me close to his chest.

"What are you most thankful for?" I asked him as we held each other.

"I'm thankful that I found you, that you wanted and loved me as much as I loved and wanted you. I'm thankful that you didn't run away from me, that you still want me after everything I've put you through. I'm thankful that you are standing here, now, with me. That you gave me Renesmee, that you gave me life, love and family - more than I thought could ever be possible." Edward buried his face in my hair as he spoke, holding me as close as he could to his body.

"I'm thankful everyday that you saved me from myself," he continued, taking my face between his hands, looking lovingly in my eyes. "You risked your life everyday to be with me, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Before you, I was nothing, an empty shell damned to walk this earth for all eternity alone. Then you came into my life and I found my purpose - my reason for living. You are my life. I know I've said that before, and I stand by it forever."

"I love you, and always will love you, Edward Cullen." I felt as though I was going to cry at his words, if that were still possible. I pressed my lips against his, tangling my hands in his hair before any other words could be spoken, reveling in this moment with my husband.

The beach was completely empty of travelers, so we weren't worried about public attention. * At this moment, it was just the two of us standing alone on the beach with Renesmee and Jake far enough away, but still within hearing range, that they wouldn't care either.

"Edward, Bella? Is that you?" We quickly broke apart from our embrace to find the owner of the familiar female voice. Searching the shore around us, we found a very pregnant Angela, with her husband Ben approaching behind us from the parking lot.

What was surprising was that Edward hadn't heard them coming, and I know my shield wasn't out.

Edward's face was stunned as he answered, pulling me behind him slightly.

"Angela? Wow, look at you. You look great. Congratulations!" Edward exclaimed, taking in Angela's pregnant belly as he reached out to shake Ben's hand. "Hey Ben. It's good to see you both."

"Thanks, Edward," Ben answered, looking from Edward to me with a questioning look on his face. "Yea, it's good to see you too."

"So what brings you to the beach in this weather?" Edward asked, trying to direct the conversation away from me. This was one confrontation we weren't expecting. Everyone knew we were planning on going to Dartmouth for college after we got married, but nobody knew what had actually happened -- that I got pregnant and became a vampire.

"Just wanted to spend some time on the beach before going to visit the parents," Ben said, still confused as he held Angela at his side. "What about you? Aren't you supposed to be at Dartmouth?"

"No, some family emergencies came up, so college is on hold for now. We're just hanging out, before meeting up with some friends," Edward answered as I moved to his side, still holding his hand and smiling toward Angela, careful to keep my eyes out of the light so they appeared darker -- luckily we had just gone hunting before coming here, so our eyes were a bright golden color.

"Bella? Oh, wow, you look amazing!" Angela exclaimed as she stepped away from Ben's protective arms to give me a hug. Out of everybody we knew from high school, Angela was always the one who accepted the Cullen's no matter what any one said about them and me, she simply didn't care.

"So how are you enjoying being a Cullen?" She asked, taking my free hand and sneaking between me and Edward.

"It's the best, Ang, I'm so happy! It's really great to see you again! You look radiant." It was the truth, with my perfect vampire eyes I could see she was absolutely glowing.

"Thanks! I got pregnant right after we got married in June. I'm due in March, we're so excited," she told us as she stepped back toward Ben, rubbing her belly and beaming at her smiling husband. He kissed the top of her head affectionately, holding her in his arms. "Oh, and we wanted to name the baby after you guys. I hope you don't mind."

"Thank you, Ang! That would mean a lot to us," I said, embracing her in another hug.

Edward beamed as her statement. "Thank you, we really appreciate that," he said as he shook Ben's hand.

"It's really no problem. We are so grateful to have you both as such good friends," Ben said, taking his wife by the waist as we turned to walk along the beach together.

We continued to talk as we walked; away from Jake and Renesmee so we wouldn't have to explain that story. They told us about school - Angela was still attending during the pregnancy - and how much they were enjoying being married.

As we walked, I threw out my shield just to check if we were being followed. We weren't, Jake had Renesmee by our tree. Edward noticed I was slightly distracted and reassured me they were fine, not realizing my shield had already done exactly that.

"Jake saw us talking," he whispered, low enough so only I could hear. "He's keeping Nessie busy, sitting with her at the tree he used to take you to."

Hearing those words made me smile and relax even more as I let my shield go. I was happy Jake could share our spot with her. It wasn't _our _spot anymore, it would be _theirs_. And that was just fine with me. spot anymore, it would be

Angela and Ben continued telling us about their life and we reminisced about old times back in high school. They thanked us for helping them get together and asked how our life was going, what we were up to now that high school was finished and college was postponed.

Edward told them about the cottage and how Esme restored it and gave it to us as a wedding present -- making the story sound as human as possible. We exchanged honeymoon destinations, theirs being a romantic trip to Hawaii. We of course left out the fact we also had a honeymoon baby, like they were having, and that she was playing just down the beach behind us.

We apologized for not making it to the wedding, but made sure they got the gift of money we sent them. They had -- they used it to buy a house in Seattle near the University and fix up the nursery.

We continued slowly walking along the small coastline, stopping every so often so Angela could rest. After a few hours, we walked them back to their car as we said our goodbyes.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Angela exclaimed through Ben's open window after Ben helped her in the car, waving at us.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too!" I waved back. "Give your parents our love."

"Will do, you do the same," Ben nodded, smiling as they drove away.

"They really don't care that you've changed, do they?" Edward asked in a thoughtful tone as we walked back to the beach to find Jake and Renesmee, hand in hand.

"No, they don't. Did you catch anything in their thoughts?"

"They were shocked at first, but nothing more about it after they saw how happy we are. Ben was more skeptical than Angela was, though. But they are incredibly happy for us, too." Edward kissed my head as we walked toward our daughter.

"Momma, Daddy! Look at me!" Renesmee screamed, throwing her hands in the air with a huge smile on her face. She was also barefoot, playing in the sand and rocks as the tiny waves washed up against her feet.

"Hey, princess!" Edward smiled, jogging up to her. He scooped her up and started twirling her around as she giggled, huge smiles plastered on both their faces.

"Hey, Bells. Are you enjoying the beach?" Jake asked as I sat next to him on the tree root.

"Yes I am, Jake. Thanks again for letting us come here. I remember what this place meant to us," I said as I watched my husband and daughter play along the water. We talked quietly so that Renesmee wouldn't over hear us.

"There's great memories here, Bella. I don't regret any of it, and neither should you," Jake said, wrapping an incredibly warm arm around my cold shoulders. "Besides, there's plenty of room for new memories here, too."

"You're right, Jake," I said, smiling up at him and wrapping my own arm around his waist. He was staring and smiling at Renesmee. "And I don't regret anything either. I'm grateful that you let me stay in your life, Jake. Thank you for everything."

He turned to look at me. "It was a hard road, Bells. But you're welcome. You also let me into yours -- even though there's really no choice on that one," he chuckled.

"Yea, well, you were still my best man without the imprinting. You've always been family to me, Jake. Nothing would've changed that for me." I gave his leg a light squeeze.

"Thanks, Bells. That means a lot to me," he said, giving me a warm kiss on my cheek.

"Momma, Jake, come play!" Renesmee yelled, running up to us and pulling us by the hands toward the water.

We continued playing on the beach, and of course, Jake and Edward had to show off their cliff diving skills Renesmee as delighted, and as I watched with her -- even though I knew I was indestructible and could jump with them, that was one extreme sport I had no interest in ever repeating. After a few hours, it was time to go to Billy's house for dinner.

***

As we pulled up the driveway in the Volvo, we could see picnic tables set up outside under tents along the backside of the house. Chairs were scattered all around with a table was already set up with various food placed on it.

Sam and Emily met us by our car when we parked. I noticed we received nervous glances from Sam as Emily warmly greeted us.

"Bella, it's good to see you again," she said from Sam's side as Edward opened the door for me and I climbed out. Jake was helping Renesmee out of her 'big-girl' car seat.

"Thanks, Emily. It's good to see you again, too," I replied, smiling back at her and Sam. I haven't seen Emily since Edward and I got married.

"Emily, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Renesmee," I said as I turned to take her from Jake's arms. Both Renesmee and I were beaming at them when I turned back toward them, with Edward standing behind us, his arm around my shoulders.

"Wow, she's getting so big," Emily exclaimed. "How old is she?"

"She's fourteen months already, but she looks like and Elementary student," Edward explained, caressing the back of her auburn-bronze curls as he spoke and smiling down at her beautiful face.

Renesmee was being quiet as she took everything in -- Emily's smiling face, Sam's nervous glances, Jake's beaming smile, and Edward and I. I knew she was even hearing other people around that we could not yet see.

"Hello," she squeaked, reaching her hand to my cheek, asking if it was okay to talk.

Edward chuckled at my side as I answered. "It's okay, baby," I nodded. "These are our friends and Jake's family, you can talk."

"What was that about?" Emily asked.

"She's a very special girl. She can communicate both by talking and through touch. It's very hard to explain with words," Edward said, chuckling more beside me.

As Edward spoke, Renesmee reached out her hand toward Emily. Emily cautiously stepped around Sam and came closer so Renesmee could reach. Renesmee touched Emily's cheek with one hand, and mine with the other, showing us each of our faces and focusing on Sam's nervous one. She was asking if he liked her.

Emily laughed as she pulled away, turning back to Sam. "That's' incredible. Don't worry, Renesmee, he's just not used to you yet." She patted Sam's chest as she spoke.

"What did she show you?" Sam asked, confused by Emily's comment. He already knew what Renesmee could do after having seen the effects it made on the Volturi, particularly Aro, last December. But I could tell he was still a little shocked by it, having never seen it personally.

"She showed me your face and asked if you liked her," Emily giggled, we all started in with her as Sam smirked.

"It's good to see you again, Renesmee," Sam smiled at her, reaching out to pat her head affectionately. He then shook Edward's hand, and mine. "Edward, Bella. You are looking well, better, in fact, since the last time I saw you," he nodded toward me as he shook my hand with his overly warm one.

"Thank you, Sam. It's really good to see you all again, too. It's been way too long."

"Thank you for letting us come here," Edward nodded at my words. "This means a lot to us all."

"It wasn't my idea. This was all Jacob," Sam responded sternly with a nod in Jake's direction as he stood next to us, watching with a warm and amused smile on his face. "But after everything we've been through together, I can't fight it. So, welcome."

"So let's go find the others and eat!" Jake said before anyone else could respond, taking a giggling Renesmee out of my arms and rushing off toward the house. Just like a teenage boy, he was thinking with his stomach. We all couldn't help but laugh at the sudden lighthearted mood change.

As we rounded the corner of the house to where the tables were set up, we were met by Embry, Paul, Quill, and Claire sitting at one of the tables with Jared and Kim, deep in conversation about school. As we came closer and the wind shifted, carrying our sent in their direction, they all looked up with slightly disgusted faces. But their smiles were huge.

"Hey vampire girl, and guy," Embry smirked at Edward as he stood up to greet us.

"Hey, Embry," I chuckled, giving them a wave. "Hey, guys. Good to see you again."

"Same here," Edward responded, gently squeezing my hand. "It's nice to finally meet some of Bella's friends."

"Hey, Bells. Glad you could make it." Billy's voice sounded behind up as Jake helped him wheel his chair over the lawn, Renesmee bouncing along on his lap.

"Thanks, Billy. It's good to finally be here again," I said, squatting down next to the chair to give him a proper hug.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. Black," Edward stated, shaking Billy's hand. "Thank you for inviting us over, it was very kind of you."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too. But please, call my Billy, that Mr. Black nonsense is way too formal for my taste," he chuckled. "You're welcome here anytime, now that Jake here's imprinted on your daughter. And since the treaty's been resolved, best to make the most of our welcome. Besides, now Jake can spend some more time at home with his old man." As he said the last part, he smirked up at Jake.

"I agree, Billy," Edward said in a low chuckle. "The beach is beautiful, too. It's been so long since I've seen it."

"That it is. I'm glad you all had fun," Billy chuckled, bouncing a smiling and laughing Renesmee on his lap. We didn't need to worry about her not knowing about the connection she has with Jake; she already knew from the moment it happened - it was as if she made it happen just as much as he did. With the way her body was growing, they would remain at the friendship stage until she was older physically. The only relationship we kept from her now was my past feelings for Jake, and his for me. In a house full of vampires where it's hard to keep secrets; that's our best kept secret of all.

"The water was fun!" She exclaimed. "Daddy and Jake jumped off the cliff. Daddy won!" she squealed, clapping her hands. We all laughed at her excitement. Jake blushed a tiny shade of pink against his darker skin and smiled down at her, playfully messing up her hair with his hand.

"Is that your daughter?" Kim asked. I'd forgotten she'd never met her, like the other imprints in the pack.

"Yes, she is. This is Renesmee," I said, picking up my joyful daughter from Billy's lap. "Renesmee, this is Kim and Jared."

"Hi," she beamed at them both.

"She's so beautiful, Bella. I remember hearing about your pregnancy. You're very lucky to have her," Kim said, smiling back at my daughter and me.

"Thanks, Kim. We are very lucky to have them both," Edward answered, reaching out for Renesmee as he kissed my head, taking her in his arms.

"Well, Charlie and Sue should be here any minute with Seth and Leah," Billy announced, looking hungry.

"The rest of the pack are on their way," Sam said, emerging from the forest behind the house. Emily came out of the house with a few casserole dishes in her hands, with Rachel following close behind. They set them on one of the tables designated for the food.

"Oh, Bella, Edward, I almost forgot," Jake exclaimed, turning back toward the house. "I have something for you both."

"What's he talking about?" I asked Edward as we watched him go.

"I don't know. He's blocking me right now. Apparently he's been around Alice a little too long," Edward said under his breath, looking annoyed.

After several minutes, Jake emerged from the house carrying a huge cooler. Setting it down in front of us, he opened it to reveal several thermoses surrounded by ice.

"Now, I know you guys won't eat food, and I didn't want to leave you out while the rest of us stuffed our faces," he explained. Edward chuckled and shook his head slowly. I glared at them both, not liking being left out of whatever was funny.

Catching my eye, Jake continued, "These are filled with animal blood just for you. I know it's not as good when it's cold, but this is what we've got." He pulled one of the thermoses out so we could inspect it for ourselves. There was a label on the side that read "Deer", looking at the ones still in the cooler I noticed some of the other labels read "Mt. Lion", "Bear", "Elk", Cougar", "Bob Cat".

"It was really fun draining them, too. Seth, Quil and Embry helped me get them all," Jake continued, beaming at his brilliant thinking.

"Wow, thanks guys," I said, smiling at each of their bright faces.

"That's really thoughtful of you, Jake," Edward said, accepting the thermos Jake opened. Renesmee reached out for it also, a curious look on her face. "You want some, sweetheart? Here you go." Edward let her take sip.

"Mmm, that's good," She beamed when she finished. "But not as good as you Jake!" We all laughed at her words, Jake blushing more and returning her smile. Ever since she was born, she always liked to bite him, sucking on one of his fingers. He was the only one she would ever do that too, not wanting anyone else's blood but Jake's.

"Thanks, Nessie. But unfortunately that's all we have, so don't drink it all at once," Jake smirked, laughing at Renesmee's reaction. Everyone else watched with cautious eyes, almost as if they expected us to devour all the blood at once like blood thirsty lunatics.

"Don't worry. We don't like to waste perfectly good blood. Plus, we've already hunted before coming today, so we can take our time with this gift," Edward spoke, easing everyone's thoughts and faces. I must have guessed right, that's what they were expecting.

After putting the cooler of blood away by the house, so it wouldn't get mixed with the other drink coolers, we joined everyone around the tables waiting as the rest of the pack and Charlie and Sue arrived.

When we heard the cruiser coming up the driveway, Renesmee squealed and squirmed her way out of Jakes arms so she could go meet her grandfather. Edward and I slowly chased after her as she went.

"Papa!" she screamed, running up to his arms as he got out of the car. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Whoa there, baby," Charlie laughed as she wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I'm happy to see you, too." He carried her around to open the door for Sue.

"Nana Sue!" Renesmee sang when Sue got out of the car, reaching out for another hug. We all laughed at her excitement.

"Hey, Nessie!" Sue said, returning her hug. "It's so good to see you too, sweat pea."

When Renesmee was comfortable with talking out loud and Charlie was comfortable in knowing that she was really his Granddaughter, she began with the nicknames. She was always formal with Carlisle and Esme, calling them simply Grandma and Grandpa, but she was informal with Charlie. We were all shocked the first day she called him Papa -- Charlie even more so. But he quickly adjusted to it and started calling himself by that name, even when talking to me over the phone. I knew he was really enjoying being a Grandfather, even spending as much time as he could outside of work to play with her, knowing how fast she was growing. Making up for the time he never got to see me grow up.

After Charlie announced that he was marrying Sue, Renesmee knew what that meant. She would have a new Grandmother -- hence the nickname of Nana Sue. Even Sue was getting used to it like Charlie was, beaming whenever she heard the words, or when she would say them herself. Renesmee never ceased to bring a smile to someone's face where ever she went.

The only one who didn't seem to like the new nicknames was Leah. Edward explained to me earlier that Leah was more jealous than anything else towards me, and towards Renesmee. Jealous because she felt that she couldn't give her own mother that happiness she found in Renesmee, being a grandparent to a step-grandchild instead of blood related. The feeling "genetic dead-end" as she liked to call herself, made an appearance anytime she witnessed Renesmee and Sue interacting, and she hated not only me for it, but everyone else as well.

Leah actually reminded me of Rosalie before Renesmee was born; always wanting children, but not having the body to allow for that kind of change. This being the main reason Rosalie hates being a vampire so much.

"Leah," Edward greeted her in an almost cautious tone as she and Seth got out of the back seat.

She only nodded in response, instantly turning the glare she was giving me into a weak smile.

"Hey Edward, hey Bella!" Seth greeted us with a huge smile and open arms. "Glad you could make it."

"Thanks, Seth," I said as I gave him a hug after Edward. "We wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Uncle Seth, Aunt Leah!" Renesmee exclaimed, jumping form Sue's arms to Seth. Leah grimaced at the title and stalked off toward the house, passing Jake on the way as he stood content in watching us from the side of the house.

"Hey, kids," Charlie said shaking Edwards hand and giving me a hug. "What a nice surprise to see you here."

"Good evening, Charlie. Billy invited us over for Thanksgiving and to spend time with their family," Edward explained.

"Well, I'm glad you made it," Sue interjected. "Thanksgiving is a time for family and giving thanks for everything that brought us all here together."

"I couldn't agree more," I nodded and smiled at my new soon-to-be mom. I knew what she meant by her words, knowing that the only reason we were able to be here right now was because of the treaty that kept us bound was now gone. We all have a lot to be thankful for. Edward smiled and nodded at her words, taking my waist in his arms and holding me close, kissing my temple.

"So, let's get to the party," Seth exclaimed. Renesmee giggled in his arms as he carried her towards Jake as we followed behind, chuckling at his eagerness to be near the food.

Sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with the Pack was something to behold. Never had this happened; werewolves and vampires essentially sharing a human meal, laughing together as friends instead of enemies.

The conversations around each table were light and open as friends ate and shared their thanks with each other.

Edward, Renesmee and I sat with Jake, Billy, Charlie and Sue. We each had a thermos of blood in our hands, occasionally sipping from it just for something to do. Pulling them out of the cooler caused a surprised look form Charlie -- he'd never seen us stay for any meal, let alone have something in our hands -- yet he kept quiet and never asked us about it. The rest of the pack, who wasn't there when Jake brought the cooler out to show us, gave us cautious glances as we sipped, not knowing what we would do. But the glances didn't last long when they figured out everything would be fine. They didn't question us either about what was in the thermoses, so I guessed they had already known Jake has done this for us. Leah was the only one who kept giving us disgusted glared, yet she kept her distance from us and never spoke.

As the night wore on and dinner came to a close, everyone spread out to mingle and visit more with each other. After a few more hours, Charlie and Sue called it a night and left to get ready for an early morning at work. Seth stayed behind while Leah went with them.

Renesmee was playing with Claire, Quil and Seth in the house while I was outside at the tables talking with Emily, Kim and Rachel, catching up on old times and remembering what it was like hanging out with Rachel while I was growing up, and meeting Emily and Kim for the first time. Rachel told embarrassing stories of us growing up together when I would come visit Charlie during the summer. She was better at telling those stories than I was because, even as a human, I couldn't remember them.

Jake and Edward were busy talking privately, and by Edward's request Jake showed him his garage where we used to spend most of our time together while Edward was gone. Both of our bikes were still in that garage. Edward was still trying to make up for that time, not only to me but to Jake as well. The way he saw it, he would forever be in Jake's debt for bringing me back to life after he destroyed me. He also wanted to find out more about our friendship and what it was like growing up with me when we were little during those summers when I would visit Charlie.

"What's going on, Bella? You seem distracted," Kim asked, pulling me back to the conversation.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Edward and Jake," I responded honestly.

"They sure are getting along great now, aren't they?" Emily asked, looking over her shoulder at the garage that had my attention.

"Yes, they are," I nodded as I continued to stare at the garage. "It's good though, with everything that's happened between us."

"Yea, I've heard the stories of what happened between you and my brother," Rachel said, shaking her head and staring at the garage in disgust. "I have to say, I'm sorry for what he put you through after Edward came back. He had no claim on you, as much as he wished otherwise. He shouldn't have acted like such a jerk."

"It's okay, Rachel. But thanks any way," I turned back toward her with a gentle smile. "We've moved past that now. He's happy now that he has Renesmee in his life. He knows he still has some part of me that will love him the way he deserves to be loved. He's still my best man, and he knows that."

"Yea, that's right," Rachel laughed. "How weird is that going to be to have your best friend as your son-in-law?" We all laughed at the question.

"Honestly, I don't know," I answered between laughs. "I don't even want to think about that yet. It's too soon."

"Yea, I guess you're right," Rachel agreed.

Just then, Edward and Jake emerged from the garage smiling and laughing as they headed straight for our table.

"Good evening ladies," Edward said like the perfect gentleman he was raised to be as he gave a slight bow towards us and shot his famous crooked grin at me, melting me where I sat. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation."

Jake was standing by his side with a crazy grin on his face. I could tell he was up to something and was about to open my mouth and ask when his words stopped me.

"Come on, _Mom_," I grimaced at the word he chose for me as he held out his hand to me, grinning even wider now, trying to hold in the laughter I could hear in his voice. "My father would like to talk to you and _Dad_ for a moment."

Rachel burst out laughing, quickly followed by Emily and Kim. Edward had an amused yet apologetic look on his face. They must've heard the last part of our conversation and staged this little performance.

Glaring at Edward as I got up without taking Jake's offered hand, I decided to play along with this little charade. "Alright, let's go," I said as I faced Jake to give him a little warning. "Keep it up, _Jacob_, and you'll be grounded from the house and my daughter for a week." I knew it was harsh, but it did the trick. His silly grin and laughter faded to an apologetic and hurt look.

"I'm sorry, Bells. It won't happen again."

"It's fine Jake, I know you were just having fun and didn't mean it." I looped my arm around his and grabbed Edward around the waist. "Now, lets find your real father," I chuckled as we walking toward the house, giggles following us from the table.

When we walked in the house, we found Billy and Sam waiting for us in the living room.

"What can we do for you, Billy?" Edward asked as we stood next to him in his wheelchair, Jake taking a seat next to Sam on the small sofa.

"I wanted to talk to you about this upcoming council meeting involving Charlie," Billy stated, looking from Edward to me. "I just wanted to make sure this is what you wanted, Bella."

"Yes, it is. Thank you for your concern, Billy," I nodded. "I, along with Sue, want my father to know the truth. I can't keep lying to him anymore."

"I understand that, and I've already talked to Sue about this. I just wanted to confirm it with you before we proceed. Because not only will he find out the truth about this tribe and the Pack, he will also find out the truth about you and what you are," Billy stated, reaching out to take my hand in his in a comforting manner. "I know how important it is for you all to keep your secret, and Charlie is my best friend; I don't want to see him get hurt."

"We actually have a couple of favors to ask you about regarding this meeting," Edward said, hugging me close to his side. Billy nodded curiously. "Bella would like to be the one to tell Charlie about us being vampires, and we would all like to be present when she does. Would it be possible if we all could be there, to support her, and Charlie, as a family?"

Billy and Sam glanced at each other, and then to Jake, with surprised and confused looks before turning back to us. "Well, that certainly is something we didn't expect to hear, and not something that has ever happened before either," Billy responded, shaking his head slowly as he pondered our request.

"It would be easier on Charlie if Bella told him herself," Jake interjected, nodding towards me while looking at his father. "I know, when I told Bella what I was, I knew I couldn't keep it from her. She was my best friend and I needed to keep my promise that I would always be there when she needed me. And if she so happened to find out what I was, I didn't want it to come from anyone else but me, so I told her the only way I knew how," Jake confessed, looking at me then to Edward. Edward closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head against mine as Jake spoke, receiving the mental pictures from Jake's memory.

"Even with strict orders not to go anywhere near her, or tell her anything," Sam said, giving Jake a small glare. "But you do have a point. I can only imagine how this would affect him coming from one of us."

"Thank you, Sam, Billy." That was a good enough answer for me. I gave him a warm smile as I wrapped my arm around Edward's waist, he kissed me on the top of my head then gave them both a grateful smile.

"You're welcome, Bella," Billy smiled back at me then looked at Edward. "I know Bella has been to one of these meetings before when she was human, and I know you know that. But having you and your family there is going to be interesting and new for us as well."

Edward nodded, "I understand that, Billy. Thank you for allowing us this chance to get to know you all better as well, and I hope we can return the favor. Which brings me to my next question."

"What's that, Edward?"

"The location for this meeting. You always hold them with a bonfire out by the cliffs, correct?"

"That's correct." Billy nodded, apprehensive of where this could be going. "It's our normal spot that's perfect for us to gather."

"Given the circumstances of this particular meeting, with Charlie and my family involved, we would like to extend an invitation for it to be moved to our house instead of on the cliffs," Edward politely explained. Billy and Same shared stunned looks at each other, not knowing what to say.

"We could easily set up our own bonfire in our back yard near the river, along with a full kitchen," Edward continued. "The space would be bigger and less confined given the size of our groups, and the smell would be considerably less as well. I understand that this is very unorthodox and against tradition for us to ask all of this of you, but this is also for Charlie's sake as well."

Billy slowly nodded as Jake spoke, "I agree with Edward. The space is a lot bigger than the cliffs, and I think Charlie would probably feel safer there anyways."

"It would be a place that is familiar to him, a place with happy memories of us as a family," I added. "I know it would be easier for him to take the truth there rather than in the middle of an unknown forest and on a cliff surrounded my vampires and werewolves who he's been calling family and friends for the past several years."

Both Billy and Jake nodded in agreement as Sam spoke the answer, "You do have a point when it comes to Charlie's safety, Bella. And the space would probably be best all around, even though you all have been given the permission to be on our land. I agree with moving this meeting to the Cullen house."

"Thank you, Sam," Edward and I stated together.

"I agree," Billy finally answered. "You both have made good points in regard to this meeting. I'm glad we can all discuss this together; I think my grandfather, Ephraim Black, would be proud of what we have accomplished here." Edward nodded, having been the only one here who was present when the treaty was first formed.

"Sue mentioned having this meeting sometime in January, before the wedding," Billy continued. "Does that work for you all? We wouldn't want to impose."

"No, Esme would love to have you all visit," Edward said with a small laugh. "January would be no problem for us either. Thank you again for allowing us this chance. This means a lot to all of us."

"Now, I think it's time for us to go get our daughter and put her to bed. Thank you, Billy for inviting us to come today, we had a wonderful time," I said reaching down to give him one last hug before going, Edward doing the same. Jake stood with Sam, then went to go get Renesmee who was now asleep in Jake's room with Claire while Quil and Seth quietly watched over them.

"Thank you for coming. It was a pleasure to have you both here, and to see Renesmee again," Billy said as we walked out the door. "Don't be strangers. Come back anytime."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**AN: **The legends are next! I promise not to take four months to write the next chapters. I'm actually about halfway done with the next one, so it should come hopefully soon. Stay tuned, it's coming!

Thank you to everyone who has put this story on favorites and alerts, and reviewed! I really appreciate it!

Show some love, I'm needing it as I continue to write these legends. Thanks!


	15. Bonfire

**AN: **Hey everyone! Wow, it's seems like it's been forever since I've updated. I'm so very sorry about that. Charlie has been a pain in the butt lately, and frankly, so has Bella in letting me writing this right. *shakes head*

So, I know you've all waited long enough, so I wont bore you with a long AN.

But first, I just want to give a quick shout out to my new Beta and wonderful friend Babakisses, who's helped me so much in getting this chapter finished! Thanks girl!

Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No infringement is intended. The words and bits of the legends used can also be found in Chapter 11 of Eclipse.

So, on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 15: 'Bonfire'

"_Who are you? What have you done to my daughter?"_

Those words constantly played through my head, increasing in frequency as the council meeting came closer; breaking my heart over again. When Edward said vampire memories never faded, I never imagined how right he was.

"_Screw this need-to-know crap."_

Here was my chance to do just that; to come clean; to tell my father the truth about me, about Edward, about Renesmee and the rest of our family.

I replayed that conversation again in my head, giving myself the courage I needed to be able to do this as I sat in front of Charlie's house in my Ferrari. I could hear my father's heartbeat inside the house, slightly picking up speed the closer it got time for me to come pick him up.

He had just gotten home from a quick mid-morning fishing trip and was finishing getting ready for tonight. Sue had told him before that she wanted him to know the tribes history before they got married. What he doesn't know is that he'll also be learning about my secret as well.

Taking a deep breath, as if to calm my nerves, I got out of my car and walked up to the door. Charlie met me before I could knock.

"Hey, Bells. It's good to see you." I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug.

"It's good to see you too, Dad," I said, returning his hug. "Did you have a good fishing trip?"

He laughed as we turned to leave the house, "Only caught a few. They weren't biting today." Then he froze when he realized what car I was leading him to, shock covered his features. "Whoa, Bells. Where did you get _that_?"

It was my turn to laugh now. He has never seen inside our garage and the only other cars he has ever seen Edward and I drive was the Volvo and the Vanquish, and the borrowed Guardian before I got married. He didn't know I had a Ferrari also.

"This would be my wedding present from Edward." I proudly gestured toward the Ferrari with a smile on my face, as a way to show it off. I know it wasn't my truck, but I was still proud of it.

Charlie gave a low whistle of amazement as he appraised the car. He was Chief of Police first and foremost, so he was always on guard around the really fast sports cars driving through town from tourists and visitors. It was bad enough Alice has a Porsche, Rosalie has a BMW M3, Jasper has Edward's Ducati motorcycle that I still can't believe he bought, and Edward has his 'special occasion' Vanquish, and now I have a Ferrari to top it all off.

"Don't worry, Dad," I told him, still giggling at his reaction to my car. He took a deep breath and nodded. "It's perfectly safe. You can trust me. I promise to drive slowly if you wish."

"Alright, Bells," he said as he carefully climbed in. "I never thought you'd be one for driving a sports car."

I chuckled again as I got in and started the engine. Rosalie fine-tuned everything in the engine to make it run even faster and smoother. This car now sounds like heaven, and runs like a dream. "Yea, I never thought I would either." Even though this was my car, for me it's the same as the Vanquish is for Edward, it's my 'special occasion' car. That's why I never drive it often.

As we made our way through Forks - driving slowly for Charlie's sake - the air between us fell silent and tense, neither one of us knowing what to say to the other. Charlie's face was cautious and blank. I couldn't help but wonder what he could've been thinking -- this is one of those times where I wish Edward were with me, or if I could read minds as well.

"Dad?" I said, breaking the silence. Charlie jumped lightly at the sudden sound of my voice.

"Yea, Bells?" He looked over at me, cautious, his heartbeat speeding up slightly.

"Do you remember last year when you first saw how much I changed?" He nodded, waiting for me to continue. "When Jake showed you what he is, and told you there's more going on here than you originally thought possible…"

"I remember, Bella," he cut me off in a groaning whisper. "What are you getting at?"

"I know Sue told you some of what's happening tonight, that she wants you to know about the tribe before you get married." He nodded again. "I need you to trust me. And you were right last September when you saw how strong I am now, when you said you wanted to know if there's something crazy going on here."

"What are you trying to say, Bells? I don't understand. Of course I trust you, you're my only daughter and I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad. More than anything, and I will never stop. You need to remember that, always," I pleaded, looking in his eyes as I drove towards the highway.

"Of course, Bella," he nodded.

"Dad, this is hard for me to explain right now, but I can't continue to lie to you anymore. You've known the public story about me and Renesmee for the past year, and now it's time for the truth to come out."

"Is this about that 'need-to-know' basis; that the reason you're still here with me is because I've gone along with this secrecy?"

I nodded, "We're still not going anywhere, as long as you can still accept us. That's why I need you to believe me when I say that I would _never_ hurt you. I can't lose you, Daddy. I need you." I was starting to sob now; at this point, I knew for sure that if I could cry, I would be.

"Bella, I don't want to lose you either, I still feel like I just got you back." His heart rate was slightly elevating as he started to panic, recognizing the look on my face. We've never been ones to show our feelings, let alone cry around each other. "I believe you, although I don't understand what you mean by hurting me. I know you're much stronger than before, but my Bella couldn't hurt a fly," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

I chuckled softly with him, relaxing a little bit at his words. Little did he know, right now at least, I could and have killed more than just mere flies. But his words were true, I couldn't hurt a single person, I was stronger than that.

"Thanks, Dad. That's what I needed to hear," I smiled at him. "I love you, Dad. Always have; always will. Never forget that."

"I won't, Bells. I love you, too." He reached for my hand and gave a slight squeeze. We stayed that way the rest of the drive to the house, hand in hand.

As we walked arm in arm around the side of the house, I could hear everyone else had arrived; we were the last. Esme was helping Sue, Emily, Kim and Rachel in the kitchen, preparing the hot dogs and buns for the boys. Sue also brought Harry's famous fish-fry that Charlie loved so much for the adults. Emmett and Jasper were helping Jake and Seth build the wood pile for the fire. Chairs and logs were already set up around the pile.

Billy sat in his wheelchair already in place, Edward and Carlisle sitting next to him talking softly. Sam and the rest of the packs were spread out doing various things and goofing off as usual. Sam was still cautious about being here, but he put on a good face to hide his discomfort. Old Quil was the only elder that wasn't here tonight, due to his failing health; Sam would be taking his place tonight instead.

"Momma! Papa Charlie!" Renesmee sang as she ran toward us from the house. Alice and Rosalie were following behind, both laughing at their niece.

"Hey there, baby girl," Charlie laughed, swinging her around in his arms. "How's my favorite Grand-daughter?"

"Silly, Papa," she laughed with a silly grin on her angelic face. "I'm your only grand-daughter." We all burst into laughter.

Edward gave me my favorite crooked grin as he approached us, wrapping his arms around my waist. "We're almost ready, love."

"Watch it, bro," Emmett yelled suddenly, catching everyone's attention, and then he started laughing. "Hey, watch where you aim that thing."

Jake had a lighter in his hands, getting ready to like the pile of wood. He was playing with Emmett with it. Jasper was on the other side from Emmett and Jake, laughing hard; no doubt he'd had something to do with what was going on.

"Sorry, Emmett," Jake laughed as the fire started burning brighter. "I couldn't resist, man. You know I wouldn't really do that, right?"

"Yea, sure," Emmett said before tackling Jake and laughing.

"Alright, boys, settle down," Esme called to Emmett and Jake in her motherly tone, with a hint of amusement. She came out of the house carrying a plate of food, followed by Sue, Rachel, Emily and Kim.

As soon as the food was brought out, the whole pack went crazy. They swarmed around the fire to roast the hot dogs, devouring then all one by one. All of the adults enjoyed the fish-fry and watched in amusement as the boys ate. Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Edward watched in disgust but laughed right along with everyone else. Renesmee also tried a hot dog after Jake made one for her, along with a helping of Papa Charlie's favorite fish-fry. She seemed to enjoy the food a little bit, but still asked to suck on Jake's finger when she got the chance. No one seemed to notice, or care, that us Cullens didn't eat or drink at all, which was fine with us. We were all having a fun time hanging out together and enjoying the company as if we've all been friends for a long time and this is something that happens regularly. Charlie even seemed very comfortable surrounded by us all, knowing part of the secrets already.

When the sky started to grow dark, the day turned into twilight and the fire died down to a low simmer, the mood changed to one of calm and relaxation as everyone made their way back to their seats around the fire, getting ready for the stories.

Billy's wheelchair was placed as the head of the circle. Sam sitting at his left with Emily, Paul and Rachel, Jared and Kim, Seth, Leah, Quil, Embry then the younger wolves. Jake sat at Billy's right with Sue. Charlie and I sat next to Sue with Renesmee in my lap and Edward next to me. Carlisle and Esme sat next to Edward with Alice and Jasper, then Rosalie and Emmett completing the circle.

Charlie was looking around confused at both sides of the circle, the tribe on one side and the Cullens on the other. Sue squeezed his hand sympathetically at his expression. Without letting go, she smiled at him as Jake started.

"Tonight we gather as one, as allies, as friends and family, no longer enemies," Jake spoke with authority in his voice I've never heard him use before. Both Billy and Carlisle nodded in agreement at his words. "This is a start of a new chapter in our history, a new tradition for our future generations. We've also come to celebrate and honor the union or our two sides." He turned to Sue and Charlie as he continued. Charlie watched Jake, giving him his full attention, not knowing what to expect. Renesmee listened intently also; her ears perked every time Jake spoke and looked in her direction.

"Charlie, I came to you last year and told you that you didn't live in a world you thought you knew. Everything is still the same as you have seen over this past year, except now it's time for you to know what's really going on." Charlie stiffly nodded; one hand in Sue's, the other in mine. I gave his hand a light, comforting squeeze, reassuring him that I was here, that I loved him.

"We start tonight with the stories of our past, the legends of our tribe and how we came to be. The first story is the legend of the spirit warriors." Jake then turned to Billy with a quick nod.

Billy smiled at Jake in return, clearing his throat so he could continue. With a rich, deep voice Billy started, reciting the story in perfect clarity. "The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning. And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting--that came later. First we were the spirit warriors…"

As Billy continued the legend, I watched every face around the circle; listening in the back of my mind, like background noise that I could tune in and out. I could still remember the first meeting I went to, and the stories that were told, even if they are only slightly blurry images I could remember the voices and words.

I decided to practice with my shield a little bit, observing Marcus' ability most of all. This would be the most people I've covered, and the first time with more than one werewolf using my new shield. I really wanted to see what would happen, what each bond would look like.

Instantly I threw out my shield, hardening it as it formed completely, locking everyone in the circle. As soon as I felt the wall form, I could see the massive web of strings connecting each and every person. How in the world Marcus could see anything beyond this was a mystery to me.

Blinking quickly to clear my mind, I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I noticed the thick unbreakable chains that connected Edward, Renesmee, Jake and I, also connected the rest of the Cullens, all varying in size as the thicker ones connected each couple and the slightly thinner ones connected siblings. I knew that even without my protective shield, Chelsea wouldn't be able to break apart our family if she tried. Our love for each other and sense of family was too strong to be easily broken. The chain also connected each imprint to her soul-mate.

I could see the strings of friendship that connected to everyone around the circle, all varying in size depending on the level of friendship, or relationship.

As I slowly gazed around the circle, taking my time, I found that I could push the different connections out of my vision; not breaking them, but making them fade away, adding them to the background noise like I can with Billy's voice as he's telling the legend, so that I can see everything else.

As I did that, I noticed something strange about the bonds of the Pack. I could see separate connections for each pack, one leading from Sam to the members in his pack, the other from Jake to the members in his. But along with that, there was another underlying connection coming from Jake to all pack members and Elders. I could only assume that was from his place as the True Alpha.

But these bonds were different from the chains, and even more powerful, more impenetrable. They were strings still, but they slightly glowed somehow, with different colors that were faint for each Pack.

I remembered how I could sense each pack member outside of my protective shield when I had their Alpha inside. I knew that if I so chose to practice one of my other powers now, it would not only affect that one person, but everyone else in the pack as well with the way his or her minds were connected – even in human form.

Edward noticed my slight distraction, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, effectively bringing me out of my thoughts. He smiled his crooked smile at me and gave me a look that asked what I was doing or seeing. I smiled back and shook my head; I'd talk to him later.

Billy was almost done telling the story. Renesmee was still sitting on my lap paying attention to his words, like everyone else, not noticing Edward and I.

Keeping my shield out, I tuned back into Billy's words as I focused more on Charlie's connections as he listened to his best friend. I wasn't going to force his bond with me; I just wanted to see his reaction and figure out how he felt about us and what that looked like as the legends continued.

"… From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf-self to fight to frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into the wolves…"

Charlie watched both Billy and Jake intently as he squeezed both Sue's and my hand for support. I could see a small range of emotions float across his face as Billy's words: confusion, understanding, anger, nervousness. The small string that connected him to Billy and Sue grew slightly, his respect for them as Elders, as leaders of their tribe, growing.

"… That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end on the story."

With that, Billy looked from Carlisle and Edward to Sam, who quickly nodded and cleared his throat to continue.

~End Chapter~

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**AN:** As you've probably noticed, or not and I'm just now pointing this out, this chapter is considerably shorter than the past several have been. For that I am sorry. I decided to split it up because it would've taken even longer to get it out to you all to enjoy as I'm still writing it, and this seemed like a really good place to stop!

I want to thank those that are reading, and have added this story to alerts/favorites, and highly encourage you all to review. Please, let me know what you think!


	16. Truth

**AN:** Alright, here's Charlie's reaction! I really hope I've done Charlie justice with this, as I'm not quite 100% sure about it myself. But, I know I wouldn't be able to do it any better.

So here you go! And an added bonus, it's my longest chapter yet! Enjoy!

Special thanks to my wonderful beta and friend, Babakisses! You're the best!

I do not own. And as with the last chapter, the legend quoted in this chapter can me found in chapter 11 of Eclipse.

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Chapter 16: 'Truth'

"Thank you, Billy. That was the story of the spirit warriors. This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice…" Sam continued.

Edward chuckled lightly from my side. He had asked me once about this story after I had mentioned it my sleep. I told him that I couldn't explain it correctly, so he had asked Jake about it before fighting Victoria, and then I acted out my own rendition of the story. He squeezed my shoulders and kissed my temple, remembering the same memory, as Sam spoke.

With this story, I paid more attention to the words Sam was speaking, as this was the story that mentioned the red-eyed cold ones; this was the story that would confirm everything with Charlie; this was the story that mentioned my family.

"… Taha Wi led five other wolves in his pack on a search through the mountains, looking for any on the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before--a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain…"

The pack stared at my family at the description and they stiffened slightly, their strings rippling slightly. Edward squeezed my shoulders again, pulling me closer to his side. Charlie watched Sam as he told the story, listening to every word, not noticing the stares going across the fire. Sue also watched Charlie; she smiled shyly at him, and gave his hand a comforting squeeze when he would glance at her.

"… They found faint traces of human scent, and human blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for…"

Carlisle took in a quick breath and closed his eyes as he shook his head. Out of everyone here, he would never condone such behavior as the vampire in this story.

"… A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink all through the Makah village. The wolves went on the hunt again.

"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taha Aki's third wife, the youngest in the pack. He brought something with him that had never been seen in all the days of the Quileutes--a strange, cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces…"

I watched as Charlie looked at our adjoining hands and to his and Sue's with a questioning look on his face. Our connection started pulsing, rippling out from him to me. I could tell he was starting to put the puzzle pieces together in his head. I turned to Edward; he nodded once knowing what I was asking.

"… This was the enemy of the Makahs…"

Charlie gripped my hand as tight as he could, his knuckles started to turn white under the pressure he was giving. He flinched slightly at the coldness of my hand as well, as if this was the first time he noticed the cold, but I knew he was used to it already. He looked up at me confused; I gave him the best warm smile I could while trying to silently convey how sorry I was for everything.

"… His white lips were covered in her blood, and his eyes were red. Yaha Uta described the fierce strength and speed of the creature…"

When Sam said the vampire's eye color, he glanced at my family as he spoke. Charlie didn't miss it either; he too looked from Sam to me with confused, questioning eyes. I looked straight into his dark brown eyes as he stared into my golden ones. The light from the fire was dancing on our faces. I wanted in that moment to tell him not to be afraid.

Renesmee squirmed in my lap, reaching up between Edward and me, showing us her memory of Aro's eyes, asking us if they were like the ones in this story. Edward's face fell as he closed his eye and pinched the bridge of his nose. I nodded my head and held her close, kissing the top of her head as we continued to listen.

"… The creature was hard as stone and cold as ice. They found that only their teeth could damage it…"

Charlie quickly looked to our clasped hands again in surprise, jerking his hand out of mine and looked up at me with worry and a hint of fright. Then I noticed the string connecting us was starting to fray in the middle, very slowly the fibers broke apart as if being slowly cut by a knife. Seeing his reaction, Renesmee quickly moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, Papa. Momma and Daddy love you, too," she whispered in his ear, laying her head on his chest.

"I love you, too, baby girl," Charlie whispered back to her, holding her close in a hug. I could see the fibers mend back together, but not completely. Jake watched us with a small smile.

"… When there was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many small bags and spread them far and wide--some in the ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha Aki wore one around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."

Sam paused and looked to Billy. Edward stiffened at my side knowing what he was about to show, as Billy pulled out a blackened pouch that hung around his neck and held the ashes. Charlie, along with the rest of my family, let out small gasps and shifted in their seats.

"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf protector left, young Yaha Uta…"

Charlie froze at the names, staring around at my family, ending with myself. "Impossible," he whispered as he held Renesmee closer, fear playing on his face and in his eyes as Sam continued. Half the string was frayed now because of those words. It took everything in me not to mend them myself, to bring Charlie back to me, but I didn't because this was what I wanted; I needed to know how he truly felt.

"… The stories say that they Cold Woman was the most beautiful thing human eyes had ever seen. She looked like the goddess of the dawn when she entered the village that morning; the sun was shining, for once, and it glittered off her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black in her white face…"

All eyes from the pack, including Charlie, Sue and Renesmee, turned toward Rosalie as Sam described this woman. The closest pack members to her and Emmett scooted away from them in their seats, causing Emmett and Rosalie to chuckle. The rest of our family snickered and shook their heads at the boys' reactions.

Charlie looked from Rosalie to me, looking for answers. I shook my head and smiled. That seemed to relax him enough, the string mending itself a tiny bit, and he turned his attention back to Sam.

Sam continued with the story, ignoring those around him. Everyone was quiet as Sam spoke of the third wife. Charlie grasped my hand again as Renesmee snuck quickly over Sue and into Jake's lap. He held her as she buried herself into his arms, listening intently to Sam. I could tell she was starting to get a little tired and was about ready for a nap, but she would also force herself to stay awake and listen to all the stories, knowing there were more to come.

"… And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. She fell to her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart…"

I leaned into Edward's side as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head. Both if us remembering my own rendition of this sacrifice when Edward fought Victoria.

Charlie took a quick breath and closed his eyes as Sam described what happened to both the Cold Woman and Taha Aki's family in an even stronger voice, sitting up straighter, prouder, as he finished the story.

"… Time passed, and the descendants of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reach manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small."

Sam turned to look at Charlie and me, then turned to Carlisle as he finished, changing some of the words to fit better now.

"Then a bigger coven came, and our own great-grandfathers prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His yellow eyes gave some proof to his claims, that they were different from the red-eyed cold ones; they claimed to be a family, not just a coven. The wolves were outnumbered; there was no need for the cold ones to offer a treaty when they could have won the fight. Ephraim accepted, and the first treaty was born. They've stayed true to their side, though their presence does tend to draw in others.

"And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the tribe has ever seen," Sam finished with a low chuckle, looking around the fire at our huge group.

As Sam finished speaking, I could hear Charlie's heart rate increase as he followed Sam's gaze to Carlisle. Charlie's eyes went wide as Sam described my family; huge coven, yellow eyes, spoke to Ephraim Black – Jake's great-grandfather.

"B-B-Bella?" Charlie stuttered, his eyes on me, his heart rate dangerously close to Renesmee's hummingbird heart rate, the string fraying to the last few strands. "Is this true? What's going on here? Who are you people?" He directed the last question out to my family, his eyes trained on Edward last, effectively silencing everyone around the circle.

"Yes, Dad, it's all true," I told him, taking Edward's hand and squeezing both Charlie's and his. "Dad, I want to tell you everything, I need you to trust me, and know that you are completely safe here. But first, I need you to calm down, and take a deep breath." At that, Jasper started to get up to come to Charlie's side, but I shook my head at him. I didn't want his influence right now with Charlie, as much as I didn't want our bond to break either. He nodded, settling back in his seat. I knew he would still monitor Charlie's emotions, just as Carlisle would monitor his heart rate.

Charlie looked at me confused; he took several deep breaths and nodded for me to continue.

"Dad, there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it, then I will explain," I started, stalling, focusing on his heartbeat, making sure his heart wasn't in any more danger, and watching the string closely as I spoke. "Dad, what Sam described is true; I am a vampire. We are all vampires." I motioned toward my family.

Charlie's heart skipped a beat and his face paled as comprehension dawned on him. Still staring at me, he slowly started shaking his head after a few, very long minutes, yet the string stayed together by just a few threads.

"No. No, this can't be. You can't be... _vampire_. No." I could see moisture starting to form in his eyes as he was desperately trying to fight back the tears. He was in denial. "How can this be? Why? I don't understand. My baby girl. This can't be happening; can't be real..."

"Dad, I'm here. I'm real. It's all true. I'm so sorry." I gave his hand another light squeeze.

"What have you done to my daughter?" he suddenly rounded on Edward, his anger flaring, his heartbeat steadily increasing again, ignoring my reassurances. "I take it this is your fault. I should've known..." The bond he held with Edward starting to pulse as well, rippling out like waves on water. Edward's face fell at Charlie's words, and probably at his thoughts as well.

"Charlie, Chief Swan, please," Carlisle interrupted him, pleading, placing a hand on Edward's shoulder, coming to his son's defense. "This is not entirely Edward's fault, nor anyone's fault."

"How could you?" Charlie asked Carlisle, his voice still raised. "A _doctor_? I trusted you. How can you be a real doctor if you're a... a... _that_?" He refused to say the name again.

"It's not without centuries of practice, I assure you," Carlisle answered. Charlie's eye grew wide with confusion at Carlisle's words. "And I promise you, Charlie, I have never taken a drink from a human in my life."

"Dad, stop," I yelled. Charlie's eyes shot straight back to mine; they were hard and accusatory. "Listen to me. Look around you; this is our home, where we live. Remember all the good things that have happened here. I married Edward, the love of my life, right here. You've played with Renesmee and I throughout this past year, right here, at this house. We may be vampires, but you are safe here, with us. You don't need to be afraid."

At my words, Renesmee got up out of Jake's lap and came over to her Grandfather with tears starting to form in her eyes. Placing her hand on his knee, she asked in a small voice, "Papa, are you mad at us?"

Charlie looked at her big brown eyes, the Swan family eyes, and sighed, "No, sweetheart, I'm not mad. I'm just really confused." Jasper scoffed quietly as Charlie picked her up and held her to him. No one could resist those eyes coupled with her charm—the perfect combination of her parents.

Then Charlie looked back at Edward and I with a confused expression, eyeing Renesmee cuddled in his lap. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

He knew that I had been pregnant, even if it still seemed impossible, and that she was his real granddaughter, but he must've just now put it all together as to what that meant as he looked at us now with her in his arms.

Edward chuckled at my side, smiling widely like a proud father as he answered Charlie's mind, "Charlie, I am a vampire, yes, and Renesmee is my daughter, _our_ daughter. Bella was pregnant with her when she was still human. She is a very special and gifted half vampire, half human child. That's how she's able to grow so fast." Renesmee looked up at Edward as he spoke of her, then back at Charlie and smiled.

Charlie shook his head, closing his eyes. Edward laughed before Charlie finally spoke, "It doesn't matter." It sounded like he was talking to himself, trying to convince himself, but we could all hear him. "I don't care," he stated, looking back at me, the string starting to mend itself completely. "You're my daughter, no matter what, and I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," I laughed, smiling back at him. I said those same words to Edward when I first found out he was a vampire.

"Like father, like daughter," Edward whispered in my ear, loud enough for everyone to hear still.

Our family snickered and the Pack looked confused, but relieved. Charlie didn't miss it either, "What do you mean by that, Edward?"

"Bella said the exact same thing to me when she found out the truth about me, about us," Edward stated, kissing my temple.

"You knew?" Charlie looked at me with a pointed look. "When did you find this out; and you never told me? How could you date a… v-vampire?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Dad. I couldn't," I stated flatly. Then I explained; this was as good a time as any to get the truth out, "The first time Edward saved my life was in the school parking lot. He pulled me out of the way of Tyler's van. I tried confronting him about it at the hospital, because he was nowhere near me at the time, but he refused to tell me. That was when I knew I had to find out more about him, that he was something more than human.

"I asked Jake about it later at the beach, when they said that the Cullens weren't allowed in La Push. He told me, believing it was all a crazy superstition and confirmed everything I already knew about Edward; I even researched everything on the internet to be sure. The night I went to Port Angeles with Jessica and Angela, Edward saved my life again, and that's when I told him it didn't matter what he was. That night, I knew that I was completely in love with him."

"What do you mean he saved your life, again?" Charlie asked pointedly, glaring at both Edward and I.

"He saved me from getting attacked by some creeps in an alley when we were in Port Angeles; I got lost and was planning on fighting them myself when Edward showed up." Charlie paled at my words. "Don't worry, Dad, he didn't kill any of them – though he wanted to," I added.

Charlie nodded stiffly. "I wish you would've told me about that, I could've taken care of them."

"I knew I wasn't in any danger from Edward, Dad. And after that, it was easy being with him. I knew I didn't want to be without him, I couldn't even imagine it," I finished, ignoring his last statement.

"But, I'm still curious about a lot of this, it just doesn't' make sense," Charlie stated. Then something Edward said caught his attention, he narrowed his eyes at my husband, "Wait, how did you know what I was thinking? And what do you mean by gifted?"

"Renesmee is very gifted, and that also runs in this family. She has a very unique talent that is easier to believe if she shows it to you herself," Edward answered, avoiding Charlie's first question.

"Can I show you, Papa?" Renesmee asked, looking up at him, unsure if she was allowed to.

"Umm... sure, I guess?" Charlie nodded, looking at me confused. I nodded for her to go ahead.

She placed one hand on Charlie's cheek, the other on mine. With a soft "whoa" from Charlie, Renesmee showed us everyone's faces, pausing on Charlie's the first time she met him. She quickly showed her birth, my human face, then what it was like meeting me for the first time after my first hunt. Every time Carlisle took her measurements, how fast she was growing. She showed us every time Charlie would come over to play with her and every time she would go to his house to visit him and Sue, and all the fishing trips he took her on with Billy.

When she let go, Charlie's eyes were still closed, his expression blank. Sue rubbed his back comfortingly; Billy and Sam looked worried and confused, as did the rest of the Pack. After a few deep breaths, he finally opened his eyes and stared at Renesmee. "What was that?" he asked, still looking at her.

Edward chuckled, "I told you she has a very unique talent. She just showed you some of her memories."

Charlie turned to Edward, even more confused now. "How did you know that? She only showed Bella and I, didn't she?"

"I also told you that her gift runs in the family. A part of that is from me, the other from Bella," Edward told him. "Charlie, I can read minds. What Nessie did, was turned my gift around and showed you hers. Bella is what we would call a shield—and a very powerful shield at that; Nessie is the only one who can penetrate Bella's mind."

"Y-y-you can read minds?" Charlie asked nervously.

Edward nodded slowly, "All except Bella. I can't read hers at all, unless she lets me. But don't worry Charlie, for some reason I can only get little glimpses into yours. I'm not sure why that is."

"You can't read Bella's mind," Charlie repeated, glancing between us. "Is that why she's a shield, as you said?" I could tell he was starting to get into his interrogation mode with these questions, trying to understand everything.

"Charlie, I know this may be difficult for you to hear," Carlisle answered. "But it seems as though Bella was born to be one of us, to become a vampire."

Charlie shook his head, moisture starting to form in his eyes. "She has a mental shield, that's the reason Edward can't hear her thoughts," Carlisle continued, sounding like he was talking to one of his patients. "Nor is she a normal vampire. Normally when we have special abilities, or gifts, there is only one. But Bella, it seems as though her shield has grown over the past year to include different forms of protection. As well as she doesn't act like a normal vampire either; for as young as she is in this life, she's giving even me a run for my money." The rest of my family, as well as the Pack, snickered at his words, nodding their agreement.

He was right though; here I was, a newborn vampire doing exactly what it took him centuries to learn. Granted I wouldn't be able to walk into the hospital and do what he does, but I still had exceptional control over my thirst; even Jasper has come to accept that fact.

"My baby girl," Charlie whispered, holding back the moisture in his eyes as best he could, still shaking his head. I squeezed his hand again as Sue rubbed his back in comfort. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at me with determination and disbelief in his eyes. "Can you show me? I can't believe any of this, prove it," he dared.

Everyone around the circle went quiet, waiting to see what would happen. Only Jake, Leah and Seth have seen first-hand what I can do, as well as the rest of my family. I knew they were all curious as well. Looking back to Carlisle and Edward for support, I saw everyone nod in encouragement. "Just show him one briefly," Edward whispered in my ear. "You can do it, love."

I turned back to my father, Renesmee still in his lap watching us silently. "Sure, dad," I said. "I'm only going to show you one." He nodded, watching me closely.

I knew which one I wanted to show him. I had only practiced this one once, with Zafrina. Not knowing what the others would do to a human, this would be the safest choice.

Staring back at my father, I found his light at the end of the string and immediately thought of darkness. The string rippled out to him and I knew it worked. His eyes went wide in shock, and strangely blank, like they rolled back in his head.

"Bella? W-what happened?" Charlie stuttered, tightening his hold on Renesmee while he looked around frantically. "W-where are you?"

Blinking once, I gave him his sight back. "I'm here, dad. You're safe."

"What was that? You did that to me?" Charlie asked in surprise. I nodded, giving him a small smile. "Wow," he breathed.

"She can do more than that, Charlie," Emmett spoke up. "She's like the ultimate vamp now, it's pretty sweet!" Rosalie smacked him on the back on the head, as the younger boys in the Pack chuckled.

"Really?" Charlie asked, looking between Emmett and me.

I nodded, "Yes, but it's not something I want you to see_, ever_." I made a quick glare at Emmett with the last word.

Charlie nodded then turned to Carlisle and Edward. "I know I said it doesn't matter, but there's more I still want to know. Who are you all, really?"

Carlisle nodded with a smile. "Naturally," Edward answered, chuckling. "Charlie, my name is Edward Anthony Masen. I was the first that Carlisle changed. I was born in Chicago, the summer of 1901. Carlisle found me in the hospital, dying of the Spanish Influenza in 1918. The disease had already claimed my father when we arrived at the hospital, and just before my mother died she made Carlisle promise that he would do everything in his power to save me, as if she knew what he really was. So he did, and here I am today.

"But that's not the end of my story, I do have my faults. As with any teenager, I went through a rebellious period. Rejecting this life and feeling as though I was being held back from my true potential as a vampire.

A few years after Esme joined our family, I left. I traveled around, scrounging around the filthy minds of the real monsters that plagued the human world. Feeling as though I was doing good, saving victims from death, and bringing my own form of justice to the perpetrators. But, after three years of playing God, I found it tiring, and I missed my father and new mother. I returned to them as the prodigal son, and they received me back with open arms and never ending love. I have tasted human blood, and I do not intend on ever going back to that.

"On top of that, I also have followed in Carlisle's footsteps and attended, and graduated, from medical school twice, with two Doctorate degrees in medicine."

Then Edward turned to Carlisle, gave him a small smile and a nod for him to continue. Charlie gaped at Edward's words, but stayed silent; not knowing what would be said next.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen. I was born in London sometime during the 1640's. My father was an Anglican pastor; he also led raids in killing witches, werewolves and vampires. Of course everyone that was killed was innocent. The wish of my father was that I follow in his footsteps; so as the obedient son of a pastor, that's what I did. I was not quick to judge, not believing in what was happening to these innocent people. I was 23 when I led one of the raids in place of my ailing father. As luck would have it, we came across a group of real vampires climbing out of the sewer they lived in. When they saw us, they attacked. I was caught first by the first one we saw. Before he could finish killing me though, he was easily distracted by the rest of the raid party that followed me. Wanting to defend his find from the rest of his group, he left me for dead in the alley. Knowing what would happen to us when our bodies were found, I hid in a cellar and buried myself among the rotting potatoes for three days in an effort to save my life.

"After I woke to my new life, I knew what I had become, and what my father would do to me if he found out. Despising what I was, and not wanting to kill anyone, I ran as far away from humans as possible, hiding among the forest. I stayed there, ignoring my thirst for as long as I could, growing weaker as time went on. A herd of deer passed by my hiding place and I attacked without thinking. When I finished, my strength returned and I found a new way of living without being a demon. I had never thought that the same blood in the venison you eat as a human could sustain me as a vampire. Over the next few months, I found this new philosophy in drinking from the blood of animals, what we now call our vegetarian lifestyle.

"It took two centuries for me to perfect my skill in self-control, becoming completely immune to the scent of human blood. During that time, I studied at various universities and colleges, eager to learn as much as I could. I found my calling through the medical field. Using my heightened extra senses, I could help to save human lives, not kill them.

"I traveled through different countries, continuing to practice and learn new techniques as they developed over time. After a couple of centuries I found my way to America. Eventually I grew lonely and desired a companion, someone I could share my way of life with as other vampires I met scoffed and turned their back on me. That was until I met Edward and his mother in Chicago.

"As Edward said, his mother's last wish was that I save her son any what I knew how. That's when it occurred to me that I could make him like me, doing to him what was done to me. Edward has always been like a son to me, and three years after he joined me in this life, we came across Esme. She joined our family as well and became my wife."

Carlisle finished his story, watching Charlie as he spoke. Charlie, as well as the Pack, and the other humans around the circle were silent, looks of awe in all their faces at Carlisle's story. Turning to Esme next to him, Carlisle nodded for her to continue, giving her shoulders a loving squeeze and kissing the top of her head.

"My birth name is Esme Platt. I was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1895. I was 26 when Carlisle found me in the morgue with a heartbeat no human ears, and instruments at the time, could hear, in 1921.

"But that wasn't our first meeting. When I was sixteen, I fell out of a tree and broke my leg. Dr. Cullen fixed my leg for me, and from then on I knew I was in love. But of course, I was a teenager and he was a vampire; he left soon after my leg healed. I never saw him again until he saved my life ten years later.

"I later married an abusive man named Charles Evenson at the request of my parents; they never knew his true nature, and always told me to be quiet whenever I tried confronting them about it. He was a soldier in World War II, and when he came back from fighting, he was even worse than before. When I found out I was pregnant, I tried leaving him; I probably killed him in the process. I ran away and became a school teacher in a small town of war widows to protect my child and myself. I gave birth to a son. Two days later he died from a lung infection. I was devastated and became severely depressed. That's when I made the decision to jump off a cliff; my son was my only reason for living, I couldn't bear to go on anymore. When they found me, I was declared dead and brought to the morgue. Carlisle saw me, recognized who I was and brought me home. I woke to the only man I truly loved, and a son to call my own.

"Now, I have four more wonderful children; and a daughter-in-law I love like my own." Esme smiled lovingly at all of us as she spoke, ending with me. Both Charlie and I smiled back to her. Charlie nodded once in thanks, knowing she was more a mother to me than Renee ever was.

Alice shifted slightly in her seat, her eyes downcast and face uncharacteristically somber as she started her story. "Unlike everyone else sitting here, I don't know or remember anything from my human life. But from what I did find out through some research of my family, my name is Mary Alice Brandon and I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1901. Like Edward, Bella and Renesmee, I also have a special gift. I can see visions of the future, but they are very subjective depending on the decisions people make. When I was a younger, my parents took me to an asylum because of the visions I was having even as a human; they were scared and at that time, seeing visions was a death sentence. I managed to find my admission forms as well as my grave; the day my parents left me at that place, is the date on my tombstone.

"I am nineteen years old, and in 1920, a vampire by the name of James found me. He was what we call a tracker; he hunted and chased his prey as if it was a game to him. All I remember is a man in a white coat coming in my cell, then everything when black. I later found out that James killed the doctor who changed me as revenge for ending his game and saving me.

"When I woke to this life, I saw two visions very clearly. The first was a vision of my soul mate, Jasper." she turned and beamed at Jasper clasping his hand with hers, "The second was of Carlisle and his family, and I knew we would be a part of their family," she said, smiling at Carlisle and Esme while squeezing Jaspers hand in her lap.

Jasper brought her hand up to his lips briefly, then let go as he stood up. Standing at attention, he turned slightly toward Charlie, saluting quickly as he introduced himself fully in a proud voice, "My name is Major Jasper Whitlock, and I served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War." Charlie looked shocked, as did everyone else around the circle, not expecting this from quiet, reserved Jasper. Jasper sat down again, retaking Alice's hand as he continued his story.

"My story is very different than that of my siblings here. I didn't come into this existence knowing about the vegetarian lifestyle Carlisle had created. I was born in Houston, Texas in 1844. Just before turning seventeen, in 1861, I joined the Confederates telling them I was twenty so that I could join.

"When the first battle of Galveston broke out in 1862, I was promoted to be the youngest Major in the Confederate Army, everyone believing that I was twenty-one, not eighteen. Everyone liked me -- my father always called it charisma -- so promoting was quicker and easier for me over everyone who was older and more qualified. My first duty in my new position was to evacuate the women and children from the city. On my way back from the first group, I came across three of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Not knowing what was going on, or who and what they were, I soon found myself turned into a vampire and recruited into their own version of an army.

"Even in that army, I found I ranked faster, and survived longer than everyone else who served. I gained respect from the leader, Maria, as well as could help control the new vampires. Our army quickly grew and stayed strong thanks to my help. It was through that help that I found I could manipulate and control the emotions of everyone around me; what you would call today in having an empathic ability -- which was the charisma my father talked about when I was human.

"I stayed with Maria's army for several decades. After each battle, we were rewarded with humans, which were our food source, and our treat. I grew weary of not only killing our own kind, but also the humans; being able to sense their emotions as I killed them. I finally found my escape through a friend I had made, a fellow comrade, Peter. He found his mate in our army as well, and they quickly left together. Peter came back for me five years later at the perfect time, telling me of this new peaceful life they had found in the north, where there's no fighting. I traveled with them for a few years and yet the killing, feeding, kept making me even more depressed with my life, because of my ability.

"I traveled alone for a while before I ended up in Philadelphia where I met Alice, waiting patiently for me in a small diner as if she knew I would come – which she did. She told me about her visions, about the Cullen's and about this new lifestyle Carlisle had formed through the blood of animals. Now I am a part of this family, with my wife at my side and I couldn't be happier," Jasper finished, kissing Alice's hand.

I'm not sure what he was getting from Charlie's blank expression, but turning his attention back to my father, he added, "I am the newest member of this family, aside from Bella now, who has chosen to live off of the blood of animals instead of humans. But for me, coming from my background, it will always be a struggle. I am not proud of what I did, who I was when I first became a vampire, but I am proud to be called a soldier – fighting for what I believed and thought was right. You don't have to worry about Bella, Charlie. She has more self-control for a new vampire than I could ever believe possible." Charlie nodded at his words, the string connecting them rippling toward my father.

"Thank you, Jasper," Charlie mumbled, Jasper nodded back.

After a few moments of silence, everyone taking in the shock of Jasper's story, Rosalie cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, "Well, I'm not sure if I can top that, Major Whitlock, but this is my story. It's not a very happy ending like everyone else's, yet in retrospect I guess you could look at it being that way. My story is not a very pretty one either; it wasn't easy, and probably more gruesome than Carlisle's. But I will try to keep this short and sweet.

"My name is Rosalie Lillian Hale, and I was born in Rochester, New York in 1915. It was during the Great Depression, in 1933, but you couldn't tell it by the way we lived. I was eighteen years old, beautiful, conceited and happy; and I was set to marry the wealthy banker's son and start my own family. But, a week before my wedding, everything changed for the worse. While walking home late that night from visiting my friend and her little baby, dreaming of finally having my own one day, I ran into my fiancé and a group of his friends. They were drunk, drunker than I've ever seen, or known him to be before. They beat and raped me, leaving me for dead in the dark street." Charlie grimaced as she spoke.

"Carlisle and his wife, Esme, and her brother, Edward – as he was pretending to be at the time, were also living in the area. Carlisle found me bleeding to death, smelling the blood and coming to investigate. He saved my life, as they would put it, in hopes of finding a mate for our dear Edward. But luckily for us all, that never happened," she chuckled to herself, glancing at Edward and I, earning more snickers from the rest of our family.

"I have never tasted human blood, but I did seek revenge against Royce King, my fiancé, for what he did to me," she continued. "I killed his friends before killing him. I showed up to where he barricaded himself, in a wedding dress; he screamed when he saw me, believing I had really died – as they all did.

"Like I said, this wasn't a happy ending. Jasper has the hardest time with the thirst of blood, but I'm the one who hates being a vampire in general, never having that chance to grow old with a family of my own. But I am happy to have found Emmett, he's the one who loves me for who I am, better than anyone else ever had."

"Thanks, babe," Emmett said with a huge grin lighting up his face, pulling Rose closer to his side. "Okay, well I guess it's my turn now. I'm afraid my story isn't much better, depending on how you look at it, I guess. Although, it is a rather short one as I'm also the youngest, newest vampire here – other than Bella of course.

"My name is Emmett McCarty. I was also born in 1915 in Tennessee. I was saved by an angel in 1935 at the age of twenty, from a bear attack when I went hunting in the Appalachian Mountains. As I was being mauled by an angry bear, my Rose found me. She easily killed the bear and ran me to Dr. Cullen so he could save me. And I've been with my angel ever sense, and I couldn't be happier. I've said this before, and it's still true, heaven's not so bad if you get to keep an angel with you.

"And, I guess this would also be time for confessions, so I've got one of my own. We can't all be perfect, we're all bound to fall off the wagon at some point, or at least some of us are." Emmett glanced at me and gave a quick little wink, and then he looked back at Charlie and lowered his voice to continue, "I have felt the call a humans' blood can have for us once – one that's stronger than all the rest – when I was newer to this life, not having the control or power to stop myself."

Charlie took in all of their stories in stride, following as each person spoke. "Thank you for sharing," he acknowledged. "I understand the need to keep all of that a secret, for as long as you've all been around. And I can't imagine going through what you all went through to get here."

"You're welcome, Charlie," Carlisle nodded. "And thank you for your support of our secret. It is actually very dangerous for you, and any other human, to know about us, as it was for Bella. But please know that you will be completely safe and protected by both sides."

"That's good to know I'm not alone in doing my job," Charlie chuckled. "But there are a few things I'd like to get cleared up as well. So let me get this straight," he started, turning to now Billy and the Pack. Billy nodded for him to continue. "The bear attacks a few years back, they weren't bears, were they?"

"No, Charlie, that was us," Jake answered. "We're protectors, remember? We never killed those people. We were trying to protect them from another vampire, but we were always just one step behind her." Jake clenched his fists at the memory of Victoria. It was a full time job trying to keep me safe from her, as well as the rest of Forks and La Push.

Charlie nodded, then turned to Carlisle, "And you all have been here before," he stated.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded. "All but Alice and Jasper, that was before they joined our family. What Sam described was true, I talked with Ephraim Black and we worked together to create the old treaty, about seventy years ago."

Charlie closed his eyes at the year and nodded once. It was still weird to imagine being able to live forever and calmly say things like that.

Turning to me, he asked simply, "The sudden trip to Phoenix?"

"I'm sorry for what I said to you, Dad. That was the only thing I could say for you to let me go," I said in a small voice.

"What happened?" he asked. "What made you leave? Obviously it wasn't because you broke up with Edward like you said."

"No, it wasn't. That was the farthest thing from the truth," I shook my head as I replied. Edward wrapped his arms around me again and gave my shoulders a light squeeze. Everyone's eyes were on me as I explained. I never even told Jake the full story of how I got my scar. "During the baseball game, some other vampires were in the area and heard the game. One of them was the same tracker, James, who went after Alice. He caught my human scent and instantly made a game of chasing me; this was his most challenging, most exciting game ever. It wasn't safe for you in Forks if I stayed, I couldn't bear loosing you, bringing you in the middle of that mess. And I didn't want you to think I was being kidnapped either if I never came back.

"James followed us to Phoenix, finding out that I grew up there and that's where mom's house was. He tricked me into believing he had mom, saying that he would kill her if I didn't come to him alone. He led me to my old ballet studio where he attacked me. Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper found us there and killed him, but not before he bit me." I pulled out the bite mark that was still visible on my hand to show him, following the teeth marks with my finger as I continued, "I didn't get this and my broken leg from falling down two flights of stairs like you were told. Edward saved my life again that night by sucking out the venom otherwise I would've been a vampire then.

"The other guy in the group, Laurent, left just after James started going after me – he was scared of what James would do. But the girl, James' mate, Victoria, stuck around Forks and dug up all of my information, telling James about my home in Phoenix, and mom; that's how he knew how to get to me. Rose and Esme stayed behind to keep you safe and follow Victoria, but she got away before anyone could catch her."

Charlie shuddered at my words, as did the Pack at Victoria's name. Then Charlie turned to Jake and Sam, "Where were you? Why didn't you help?"

"We weren't all around then, Charlie," Sam answered. "Vampires and werewolves are natural enemies. The old treaty stated that we could only protect our land, La Push. Forks was the Cullen's territory and we couldn't step foot here if they were around."

Charlie nodded, something clicked in his head from what Sam said and he turned to Edward. "You left," he said in a dipped, bitter tone. "You saved my daughter's life several times, claimed you loved her, and yet you broke her and left. How could you?"

"Charlie, I know what I did was wrong. I will forever be apologizing to you, Bella, and my family for what I put you all through. But at the time, I thought – I made myself believe – that Bella would have been safer from all of us. What I wanted most of all was for Bella to live a normal, happy human life, and she couldn't have that with me; but I didn't listen to her with what she wanted, I refused to believe that she wanted to be like me, to be a vampire with me forever. It was only a matter of time before something happened to put her life in danger because of us; and when it did, I panicked.

"The whole time I was away from her, I was a mess. Threatening myself to come back and see her, to make sure she was safe, but never allowing myself to do it. I couldn't live without her. The only thing that kept me going was that I knew, or thought she was safe and happy and could be with someone else. It killed me when I was told she was dead; I couldn't live if she died, she was my life, my breath. So I went to Italy, to the Volturi, the royal family of our kind, to beg that they would kill me as well. But then she came with Alice and saved my life, and I found out then that she couldn't live without me either."

"So, were you really in South America, like Alice told me? And why did you think Bella was dead?" Charlie asked, glaring at Edward. "And you all didn't really go to LA like everyone believes, did you?"

"Yes, I was in Brazil," Edward nodded, then explained, "I was trying my hand a tracking, hunting down the female, Victoria, who came with James, so she couldn't get to Bella. It was just a distraction to keep me from coming back. I lost her in Texas and followed her false trail to Brazil while she came back to Forks. I stayed there, locked myself in an abandoned attic and refused to hunt.

"Alice saw Bella jump off of the cliff, but because Jake was there to save her – being a werewolf – Alice couldn't see Bella come out of the water. Alice came to make sure you would be all right with Bella gone." Edward squeezed my shoulders and held me to his side as he told this story to my father. "But Bella showed up at the house, alive and well. Rosalie was the one who called me, telling me that Bella had died, not knowing the truth. But, in their defense, we all tend to take Alice's visions for granted, knowing full well that they can be very subjective – we didn't know about the werewolves at the time either. And that's exactly what happened. So thinking that Bella, the reason I made everyone leave, was gone, we could all return home, I got the phone call telling me there was no more reason to stay away."

"The rest of us went east," Carlisle continued, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder, stopping him from saying anymore. Edward's face was distraught and downcast as he looked back on those memories as if they happened yesterday. "I worked in a hospital in Ithaca and taught part time at Cornell; Esme was restoring a house just north of the city; Emmett and Rosalie went to Europe on another honeymoon; Jasper also studied at Cornell while Alice researched her human life from the information she received from James when he came after Bella. Being in LA was just our cover story, because it's too sunny for us to actually go there yet that's what everyone would believe.

"What Edward said was true, we do take Alice's visions for granted at times. She hadn't been having visions of Bella since we left – and I suspect that was partly because Bella spent most of her time around Jacob and his friends – as well as Edward's request that we all stay out of Bella's life, and that meant Alice and her visions and looking to see if Bella was okay. When she got that one, we were visiting our friends in Alaska; Esme and I were out hunting, and only she, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were at the house. I was unreachable to talk to about it, so she decided to come back on her own anyway, knowing it would be too late to save Bella herself."

Charlie nodded silently, and then turned back to Sam. "So it was because they left that you were willing and able to come search for Bella? And that's how you found her so fast, because you're a wolf?"

"Yes," Sam said simply and nodded. "But this is also the start of our new legends. Please, let us explain our story to you and everything that has happened to bring us all here together as friends."

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**AN:** Well, what do you think? PLEASE let me know if you liked it, or if there's something I could've done differently.

And please note: I've tried to keep as close to cannon as possible with every character in this story. And I really hope I've succeeded in doing that with Charlie. Also, with the stories for each of the Cullens, I have gone from what was said in the books (as well as doing my own research from Stephanie Meyer's website). This is my interpretation of where they each came from, going from the year that _Twilight_ was written (2005) and not when the movie was made.

So, the legends are coming up next! This may take a while longer, just to give you fair warning, as I try to step into the mind of the Pack. Thank you for reading, and sticking with me through this journey!

Now, go press that green review button at the bottom of your screen! I do respond to each and every review I get.


	17. Legends

**AN: **Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your patients in waiting for this chapter to come. It has been a rough one, and I'm glad I'm finally done with it and am able to post it up for all of you! So without further ado, her you go! Enjoy!

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Chapter 17: 'Legends'

"As Jake prepared to speak, Renesmee settled herself on her grandfather's lap, resting her head on his chest as he held her close, carefully watching Jake.

I continued to watch our connections through my shield, though there wasn't a threat or danger of our strings breaking; it was all still very fascinating to me.

Clearing his throat and sitting up straighter, Jake closed his eyes and began recalling their newest past, "Just like the other legends told us, when there are vampires near, when there's a threat to our people, we transform into wolves to protect them.

"It has been several generations since the last pack was formed, the pack that created the treaty with the Cullens about seventy years ago. And like the legends have said, a pack's size is usually small with normally three, but this time is different, like that of Taha Aki's pack.

"Five years ago, the Cullens returned to this area to set up their home again. Remembering, and still abiding by, the treaty, they stayed off our land, and there was no immediate threat to the Quileute people, but the people of Forks were also not only our neighbors, but considered family as well.

"Shortly after the Cullens arrived, the first of the phasing began, alerting the elders of a threat. Sam was the first. He became our alpha, and later followed by Paul and Jared to form a normal sized pack. Embry phased a few years later, followed by myself, then Quil, Seth and Leah and the rest."

As Jake said each name he glanced around the circle at each one. They all nodded and gave small smiles of acknowledgment when their name was called. Charlie followed Jake's gaze around the fire, noting each person in order. Jake turned his attention to the fire for a few seconds, pondering his next words. He closed his eyes again and continued.

"Our job as werewolves is to protect humans from vampires. When a human life is threatened, it is our duty to take action, to do everything we can to save that life. And when that human is practically family, it becomes personal.

"A human named Bella Swan," Jake gave a little smirk when he said my name and Charlie and Renesmee glanced at me and smiled, "moved to Forks about a year before Embry joined the Pack. She changed everything, and unknowingly tested that long-time, long-lasting relationship we all had with her and her father by falling in love with our enemy, a vampire she went to school with, Edward Cullen." Edward squeezed my shoulders in response to Jake's words, kissing me on my temple.

"We tried several times to warn her about the danger she was in by dating a vampire, without being too obvious about the fact that we knew what he was and hoping that she didn't either. We were mistaken though; she knew everything.

"The September after she arrived, something happened and suddenly all of the Cullens were gone, leaving Bella completely heartbroken and alone, lost in the forest by her house." I stiffened in Edwards arms, not wanting to remember that time. Edward rubbed my shoulders soothingly and Jake glanced over at us with a sad smile, not wanting to bring up this memory any more than I did. Charlie stiffened as well and hung his head while Renesmee rubbed his arms to comfort him, she reached over for my hand as well, showing us that it was all in the past and everything was fine now. She hadn't known the details of my and Edward's history, but she was right though, it's all in the past.

"Bella soon broke out of her broken shell and started to live again by coming to La Push to hang out with me in my garage, along with Embry and Quil. We quickly became friends since we also grew up together when she would visit her father in the summers.

"But it wasn't long before we would leave her too. Like I said, Embry phased first, then a few weeks later, so did I, after promising Bella that I would never leave her.

"There were also reports of missing hikers and campers in the area. A lone vampire was hunting. With this new threat, we needed to protect both La Push and Forks, so now with five wolves, it made it easier to do.

"We finally caught up to the vampire in a meadow with a human he apparently knew, and so did we. It was Bella. We scared him just before he went in for the kill, killing him easily while Bella ran to safety.

"Seeing her again was hard on us all, knowing how dangerous it was for humans to be around us. But it wasn't long though before I couldn't stand ignoring my best friend anymore. Giving her clues that she had already heard before, she figured out what we are, becoming friends once again with no secrets this time.

"She also helped us understand vampires a little bit better, without wanting to say too much. We found out that the vampire we killed was named Laurent. He was sent here on a mission from another vampire, Victoria, who wanted to kill Bella because Edward had killed her mate, James, the previous year when he captured Bella in Phoenix.

"A few weeks later though, during spring break, just after one of our Elders passed away, the Cullens returned. Bella had gone to save Edward, coming back with the whole family. Now trying to hunt down and capture this Victoria would be even more difficult, limiting our hunting area to La Push once again.

"Working alongside the Cullens along the boundaries against our now common enemy proved to be difficult, never able to catch her.

"Weeks passed and we also learned that our worst nightmares were true. Bella wanted to become a vampire and the date was set for right after graduation." Renesmee, Sue, Billy and Charlie all looked over at me in shock; even though most of them have already known it still took them by surprise to hear it again. I smiled sheepishly back at them.

"But luckily that didn't happen," Jake quickly continued, returning everyone's attention back to him with nods of agreement. I could hear little chuckles coming from my family.

"Victoria had other plans," Jake said darkly. Charlie's breath hitched.

"The disappearances in Seattle were Victoria's doing as she started building an army of wild newborn vampires." Charlie shook his head. He had been watching that situation closely, and now that he knows what it really was, it all made sense now.

"With the knowledge that Victoria was on her way to Forks to fight the Cullens and kill Bella, we had to do something we've never done in our history: fight side by side with vampires.

"The Cullens came to us as a last resort to help stand against this army. As protectors and friends to Bella, we couldn't say no.

"So for the first time in Quileute history, a truce was formed to fight together this one time.

"The fight came the weekend after the high school graduation. After setting a false trail of Bella's scent in a field of our choice that would lead the army in a trap for us, Bella was taken to hide up in the mountains with Edward and one of our own, and youngest wolf to the Pack, Seth.

"The fight in the field went off without a hitch until we all thought it was over. One of the newborn vampires slipped by us, and Leah started fighting him. I stepped in to help and we were able to kill him easily, but not until my whole right side was crushed." Charlie looked scared for Jake, taking in a quick breath, as he quickly looked him over for damage.

"But while we were busy on the field," Jake continued, ignoring Charlie's reaction, "Victoria, and her accomplice that helped her create this army, Riley, found Bella, Edward and Seth up on the mountain." Charlie shook his head in fear for us. Renesmee watched Jake intently as he told this story, wrapped up in his words while shaking with excitement in Charlie's lap.

"Edward fought and killed Victoria while Seth kept Riley away from Bella and killed him too." Charlie looked over at Edward then Seth with relief.

"When the fight was completely over, we reluctantly allowed Dr. Cullen to come into La Push to help heal me, which was convenient because we can't just go to the hospital ourselves." Jake turned to Charlie to explain, noticing the confusion in his eyes, "As wolves, not only is our body temperature dangerously high to be a normal human – which is why we feel so hot to the touch and run around without shirts all the time – but we also heal extremely fast. Dr. Cullen is the only one who would know and try to understand more about us. Due to our fast healing, he had to re-break my bones so that they would heal correctly." Charlie and Renesmee both shuddered at the thought of that happening. I could tell Renesmee was struggling to stay in Charlie's lap now, she wanted to go over to Jake as he talked about being hurt, but she remained seated so that he could finish the story.

"As soon as the doctor was finished, the truce was over. We each went back to our sides and we continued to keep a close eye on Bella and the Cullens while doing our best to ignore them for our own sanity."

Jake paused as everyone took in his words, the wolves and humans around the circle shifted in their seats waiting for him to continue. My family and I remained still, watching Charlie as well; we all knew what happened next. Charlie looked around at everyone stopping on me. He gave me a smile and grabbed my hand, whispering, "I love you" to me. I mouthed the words back to him and squeezed his hand before he wrapped his arms around Renesmee again and hugged her close and taking Sues hand as well. He was happy knowing the truth, and I knew telling him was the right thing to do.

Jake cleared his throat again to get everyone's attention, then continued, "The second part of this story is how we all came to be here today; as friends instead of enemies, and as two Packs, which along with the size of our Pack has never happened, even in the days of Taha Aki and his family.

"This all started when Edward and Bella returned from their honeymoon with the story of Bella being incredibly sick, too sick even for visitors. When word finally reached us that they had returned, and the story they were telling, we had no idea what to think because we knew the truth of what the Cullens are and what Bella really wanted, which was something we could not allow, something I considered unforgivable.

"But most of us were willing to look the other way and wait to see what happened next, willing to believe the story for now; all but me. I went to the Cullens house with the full intent to find out what was really going on and to destroy them for breaking the treaty and ultimately killing my best friend.

"As it turned out though, Bella _was_ sick, but not only that, she was incredibly and dangerously pregnant, too pregnant for only being away for just a few weeks." Renesmee bounced in Charlie's lap, knowing this was about her and excited to know what happened before she was born.

"I went back to the Pack to report what I saw and everyone quickly changed their minds on what to do, not knowing what could possibly growing inside Bella, and believing the town would be in danger of it was allowed to live." Both Jake and Sam looked apologetically at Renesmee; her face broke as tears started to form. Charlie hugged her tighter in an effort to comfort her. I reached over for her, bringing her into my lap, whispering that I loved her, as Jake continued, keeping his eyes on Renesmee.

"And again, I was against the Pack. After seeing Bella, something changed in me that I can't explain, and I wanted to protect my best friend and whatever, whoever, was growing inside her. I didn't want to leave her side, and even when I did leave, I wanted to come back and see her; to be with her as the friend she needed me to be; one that I wasn't because of my anger and hate for Edward and the Cullens." Renesmee slowly looked up from my shoulder and wiped her eyes, looking back at Jake. He smiled back at her, easing her hurt.

"That decision, along with my birthright which I was unwilling to accept, gave me the power to leave the Pack completely and Sam's rule over me as Alpha, and follow my heart. And now given the chance to do so, Seth and Leah followed me as well; Seth wanting to help protect Bella through his friendship he made with Edward during the fight, and Leah wanting to protect her brother; and we started our own little Pack. We joined the Cullens to stand watch in case Sam decided to take action, which luckily he did not." Both Charlie and Sue looked gratefully at Seth, Leah and Jake.

"All we could do was wait and keep a lookout for danger, and every day it seemed Bella got worse, growing weaker as the baby got stronger until we figured out a balance for what the baby was wanting from its mother: blood. Once Bella started drinking the donated blood Carlisle had gathered for her from the hospital, she started getting her strength back and looking and feeling better, healthier, and more human again.

"One day, when her estimated due date was just days away, Edward came up to me privately and asked for a favor, a favor that only the True Alpha could grant, forcing me to accept my responsibilities as Ephraim Black's heir. He asked me to give him permission to change Bella despite the treaty. This was not an easy choice to make on the spot. I was unable to imagine my best friend, someone I grew up with, as a vampire with a silent heart, and yet I had the opportunity to save her life by not letting her leave this earth completely, knowing that the baby was surely going to kill her anyway.

"Seconds after Edward made his request Bella took a turn for the worst with a detached placenta and a broken spine. It was time to deliver the baby, and only Edward was able to do so. Dr. Cullen, Esme and Emmett had gone to get more bags of blood from other hospitals for Bella, and the blood was too much for the others once Edward started the emergency C-section to get the baby out of her. I stayed and helped, doing everything I could to keep Bella alive while Edward worked.

"It wasn't until Renesmee Carlie Cullen was born and Bella's heart and body suddenly stopped fighting, that I made my decision, granting Edward's request to change his wife, as the rightful Alpha of the Quileute Pack." Jake smiled as he said Renesmee's name and sat up straighter as he spoke of his birthright. Billy smiled proudly at his son and patted him on the back. Renesmee smiled sweetly back at Jake and Charlie looked at him with thanks. Even though I was a vampire now, I knew Charlie was thankful that I would still be around instead of losing his only daughter for good.

"As Edward injected his venom into Bella to start the change, I realized the pull, that drive I had to be by Bella's side, was leading me downstairs to the one person who would change everything for all of us forever, the newborn baby, the miracle no one ever thought was possible."

Realizing what Jake was saying now, Charlie's face turned red with anger. He turned toward me and reached out for Renesmee, she quickly went to him and he held her close. I gave them a small smile, remembering my own reaction, only this time Renesmee was keeping Charlie from exploding at Jake; which he was about to do anyway. Edward chuckled low from beside me, shaking his head.

But before Charlie could make a sound, Jake saw his reaction and quickly cut him off, knowing what was about to happen form his experience with me, "Now before you get angry, Charlie, it's not like that at all. Renesmee and I have a special bond we call imprinting that will last forever, and our relationship will only grow as she grows. She is my soul mate. If this were anything different, Edward would have killed me instantly after reading my mind when it happened, and Bella would've found a way to bring me back just to kill me again. So there's nothing to worry about." We all chuckled and Charlie smirked at Jake's words and he reluctantly nodded, giving Jake a look that said he'd be watching as well.

Jake gave a little sigh of relief that he was able to evade that battle with words and continued, "Life after Renesmee was born was happier. I took my place as the True Alpha, while keeping our two separate packs at the same time. And the relationship between the Cullens and the Quileutes was relatively friendly, knowing that our families would forever be entwined now thanks to Renesmee and our imprint.

"But, it always seems that all good things must come to an end as some point. And this happened rather abruptly about three months after Renesmee was born.

"Another vampire – a friend and cousin to the Cullens from Denali, named Irina– with a vengeance against the Pack for killing her mate, Laurent, almost a year before, came down to this area and saw me out hunting with Bella and Renesmee one day.

"Seeing me in my wolf form wasn't the only think that caught her attention, it was also seeing a toddler with incredible speed and strength that made her go to Italy, to the Volturi." Charlie's eyes widened at the mention of the Volturi, remembering Edward's explanation of who they are and what that could mean for us.

"What she thought she saw in Renesmee was an _immortal child_, ones that are highly forbidden to create because they are so unpredictable and dangerous; child vampires. What she failed to witness for herself was that Renesmee is not like that at all, because she is also half human with a heartbeat and she can grow extremely fast.

"But with the damage done and nothing we could do to stop her, the Volturi made the decision to come here and kill the Cullens and Renesmee, choosing to believe the false accusation and not see reason.

"During the next month, while we waited for the Volturi to arrive and the sentence to be fulfilled, the Cullens went out and found as many friends as they could find to come and witness for them and see that Renesmee is indeed half human an half vampire, not just an _immortal child_.

"Vampires from all around came to Forks. Vampires the Cullens trusted; vampires that also hunted humans." Charlie's face lit up with shock and understanding. Every time he wanted to see Renesmee, we always came to him, never letting him come to the house because of all our guests. Now he understood why. "This put us all on edge knowing these vampires, friends or not, were here and close to our people. But they gave their word, and stuck to it, that they would go elsewhere to hunt in respect for the Cullen's lifestyle and residence in town.

"They all came without knowing why, and were surprised to meet Renesmee, some not even wanting to believe their eyes and ears, though it was very clear." Jake snickered, shaking his head, remembering. Seth, Edward and Charlie joining in, Renesmee giggled and nodded.

"Throughout the month, Renesmee continued to grow, proving every day the Cullens innocence in not creating a little monster child. And every day made the Pack even more uncomfortable with a large amount of _normal_ vampires around, despite keeping their promises to hunt away from Forks and La Push.

"Finally the day came. We all gathered again in the same field where we met the newborn army, choosing to lead them far enough out of town and away humans just in case this turned into a battle.

"The Pack chose to stay unseen at first, giving the element of surprise in numbers and size because of our large group. We would let them approach first to see what they would do, then show ourselves to force them to stop and listen knowing they wouldn't be expecting a large pack wolves at this gathering.

"Not wanting to be away from Renesmee during this, I went out to stand beside Edward and Bella in my wolf form. And knowing the powers the Volturi held, they would at least know about me through what Irina saw when she came here.

"When the Volturi came into view, forming their own formation complete with witnesses of their own to witness the _justice_ there were planning to bestow upon this innocent family, they paused seeing the small group the Cullens had put together as well. The Pack came out then and joined us to ensure they did stop completely. It worked.

"Both sides, equally powerful with extra abilities, it seemed it would've been an even fight, with the Cullens overpowering them thanks to Bella's shield, which they had no idea about. That also made them pause, as most of their abilities could not be used against Bella's mental shield. They were relying on their size and abilities in coming to this sentencing, and they wanted their witnesses to see them win easily against these rule-breakers and fear them.

"But the Volturi, witnessing for themselves Renesmee's true self as half human and half vampire, able to smell her different scent and hear her beating heart, and the Cullen's innocence, began fishing for any excuse to be rid of the Cullens and their strange lifestyle.

"You see, Charlie, these Volturi rulers are driven by power and greed, and they see the Cullen's large family as a threat to that power given the abilities they have." Jake looked at Charlie as he said this, making sure he understood. Charlie nodded, still shocked and took in every word.

"Finding no excuse and running out of options, they became frustrated that they were losing the respect of their witnesses and focused back on Renesmee and the unknown of what she might grow up to be. Since she is something no one had ever seen before, no one knew when she would stop growing, or how fast, or what would happen when she did." Renesmee gave a tiny giggle and smiled around the circle knowing what happened next, she knew she wasn't the only one anymore. I could tell she really wanted to show Charlie this part, but didn't want to interrupt Jake's story.

"They took it to a vote between the three brothers, the three rulers of the Volturi. But before they could cast their final votes, Alice brought our final surprise." Charlie turned to Alice, confused. She smiled and winked at him.

"Charlie," Jake continued, bringing his attention back, "you might remember meeting Nahuel from South America at Bella and Renesmee's birthday party?" Charlie nodded, confused.

"He is also half vampire and half human like Renesmee, and he is over a hundred and fifty years old. He has a few sisters as well, proving that there is no danger from Renesmee and that she is more vampire than human in her lifespan. Nahuel also said that she would be fully grown at about the human age of seven, answering the question of her growth." Charlie looked down at Renesmee in his lap in surprise, and she smiled wide back at him.

"This was the final straw, the Volturi has no choice but to admit defeat and walk away empty handed and leave the Cullens and everyone alive and complete, making a promise of their own that they will leave us in peace and consider Carlisle and his family as friends once again."

"Charlie," Carlisle spoke when Jake was finished, my father turned to him. "Do you have any more questions for us now that you've heard everything from both sides?"

Charlie turned back toward the fire that was now small embers in thought. "This is just a lot to process all in one night. I just found out that my best friend that I have known most of my life is as leader of a family of mythical creatures, and that vampires exist and my daughter is now one of them, along with my granddaughter. Now don't think I'm ungrateful to any of you for what you've done for my family, because I am grateful, more than you know – well maybe all except you, Edward and Jasper," he let out a small laugh. "So thank you for that."

"No problem, Charlie," Billy said. "You know any of us would do anything for you." Charlie nodded.

"Bella," my father spoke, turning to me. I could see moisture forming in his eyes that he was trying to hold back. "Thank you for today, for telling me the truth. As crazy as this all sounds, I'm glad you are okay and alive – well, sort of."

"Papa, we all love you," Renesmee told him, giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. He smiled wide at her, returning the hug.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. All of you," Charlie said looking one more time around the circle at each of us before stopping on Sue, taking her hand again in his. "Sue, I know you were worried about me knowing about this as well, but you don't need to worry anymore. And as I said earlier, I don't care. I love you, and I would love our families to join together."

Sue smiled wide at him, leaning over to give him a kiss. "Thank you, Charlie. That means so much to me."

With that, Alice jumped up clapping, "Alright, it's getting late and all humans, shape-shifters and hybrids need to go to bed. We have a wedding to plan!"

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**AN:** Well, there it is! Please let me know what you think. I'm writing the next chapter right now, so it shouldn't take too long; it's actually coming along really easy! So, until next time, please leave a little love!

76b4de43-77f3-4026-bd74-2c303add99e5

1.03.01


	18. Wedding

**AN: **Okay, first off I want to say how very sorry I am that in my haste and excitement to update the last chapter, I failed to let you all know that this was the last chapter. But, as an added bonus, this chapter is extremely long and the longest out of all of them!

And quite honestly, I even got really emotional while writing the wedding, I didn't know if I would actually be able to type it all up. I would highly suggest listening to Canon in D while reading the whole wedding, it makes it that much better. You can find the link on my profile.

The usual disclaimer applies: I do not own. All of these wonderful characters belong to the great Stephanie Meyer. And without her, this story would not be possible. Thanks Stephanie!

I really hope this chapter is to all of your liking, and that I've tied up all the loose ends. So without further ado, I will see you all at the bottom!

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Chapter 18: 'Wedding'

After the bonfire, everything seemed to go back to normal; well, almost normal anyway. Alice became everyone's drill instructor with the wedding plans and getting everything ready. She has everything preordered; all we had to do was set it all up to make sure everything fit perfectly; which it all did of course. This was a whole lot more than I remember having to do for my own wedding, and I was happy I didn't have to do it all then.

Charlie surprised us all the most. He went back to work, acting as if nothing happened, no questions asked. I could tell Edward knew different, and what was really going on in Charlie's head – well sometimes anyway – but he didn't elaborate too much when I tried to ask, saying, "Charlie's happy to finally know, but he's trying to ignore it right now." When I asked why, he told me, "He just wants everything to go back to normal, with the exception that he now knows the truth. He accepted us for what, and who, we are, and he's happy with that."

I left it alone after that. Honestly, I was happy too. Charlie and I weren't necessarily close before, but now it was as if our relationship grew. He wasn't just my father anymore, we were closer than ever now, and I felt alive, like I truly belonged here, as if I could have it all, finally. I have a wonderful family, the best husband a girl could ever ask for, the perfect daughter, my best man, and now my father.

And if, and when, Charlie had questions, which I knew would come out eventually, or if he just wanted to talk about this, he knew he could come to any of us and ask. We would be here for him.

Renesmee couldn't be happier either now that her Papa knew. She didn't have to pretend anymore around him and they both thoroughly enjoyed that. Often times he would come to the house after work just to play with her, letting her show her memories through her gift. He'd want to know all about her day, saying that he never got to be there this much with me growing up, and since she was growing so fast he didn't want to miss anything. She would take him outside, when it wasn't raining, and show him things she could do. She would even get Emmett and Jasper to play with her, when they weren't out running errands for Alice and Sue, while Charlie watched. During the weekends Charlie would come with Billy and take her, Jake and Seth out fishing. She loved those trips, and would look forward to them all week.

Charlie was still apprehensive about Renesmee and Jake spending a lot of time together, but he would let it go when Renesmee would insist that Jake come with her everywhere. She had them all tied around her little finger, no one would ever dare to tell her "no", especially when she was stubborn and persistent, a trait she got from me.

On one of those weekends, amidst all the wedding planning – "crunch time" as Alice would refer to it as – Charlie decided he wanted to spend the day at the beach with Renesmee, Edward and I. Alice wasn't happy when he made the decision, but there was nothing she could do. She assured us that the day would be surprisingly pleasant, and she advised him where to take us for privacy, just in case the sun decided to show itself since other humans would be taking advantage of the nice day as well.

Jake wasn't allowed to come on this family outing, which he wasn't at all happy about since he would also be busy with whatever Alice and Sue wanted him to do all day, but he understood Charlie's decision because of the imprinting. Jake also let slip one day that Quil had also imprinted on a three year-old human child, which made Charlie hate the idea even more, no matter what anyone said about it. He would now be keeping a closer eye on Quil, and the rest of the Pack as well now.

When we got to the beach that morning, opting to ride comfortably in Edward's Volvo, it was relatively quiet with very few humans, and a light enough cloud cover still that Edward and I wouldn't have to worry about the sun until we got to the spot Alice told Charlie to take us. He still hadn't asked the basic mythology questions yet, and I had a feeling they were coming today because when Alice warned him that the sun might be coming out, his eyes shown with curiosity and interest, though he didn't say anything.

The walk from the car was peaceful. We took our time, enjoying the scene and each other's company as we walked. Renesmee walked hand-in-hand with her grandfather, something he was all too thrilled about, and occasionally he would pick her up and carry her even though she never tired or complained, but just because he wanted to. Edward and I walked together behind them, arms wrapped around each other. Watching them brought a huge smile to my face as I remembered that before I got pregnant, I had never even thought about, or wanted, children. But I'm extremely happy to have had Renesmee when I did. I'm proud to be her mother. I could tell the sight, and probably thoughts, brought a smile to Edward's face as well. He would occasionally chuckle lightly to himself and kiss my head as we walked.

When we got to the spot, I realized this was our spot; the same place Jake first took me and told me the secrets, the same place we came for Thanksgiving, making this place even more special. It was just private enough that we wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes from the humans, yet still apart of the main beach.

Renesmee eagerly grabbed Charlie's hand, dragging him toward the water to play with him, while Edward and I laid out the blankets and sat in the shade against the tree roots.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward asked, giving my shoulders a loving squeeze.

"Just that I'm happy we have Renesmee," I said as I turned from watching my father and daughter to staring at my husband's loving eyes. "I was remembering before I got pregnant; how adamant I was that you change me no matter what, not even taking a second thought at having kids or a family of my own someday. I just wanted to be with you forever. But now I have you, and a daughter. She's also managed to bring Charlie and me closer, making our family complete even more," I chuckled as I turned back toward them playing ankle-deep in the cold water. "She's brought life and energy back into him that I've never seen before, and she's got him wrapped around her little fingers, as well as everyone else."

"You're right, love," Edward said, bringing my left hand up to his lips, giving my ring a light kiss. "She's a blessing to this family, and I'm very happy to be her father. For so long I've concluded that a family of my own would never be possible. But I'm happy to be proven wrong. And I think she takes after her mother when it comes to bringing people closer to her, wrapping them around her finger as you so eloquently put it. You had us all like that for the longest time as well, you still do actually."

I smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss when we were suddenly interrupted by little hands. "Daddy, come play with me. Please," our daughter pleaded, grabbing onto Edward's hands, pulling him away with her. "Papa's tired and wanted to rest and talk to Momma for a while. Come on, Daddy, hurry up!"

"Alright," Edward laughed, letting her drag him off towards the water, "I'm coming, sweetheart."

As Renesmee let her father toward the ocean, my father sat next to me on the blankets. "Beautiful day today." he stated, taking a deep breath of the cool ocean breeze. "It's a perfect day for a family beach trip."

"It sure is, Dad," I replied, closing my eyes and smiling into the wind. "Thanks for inviting us to come out. I think we all needed a break from Alice and Sue and all the wedding stuff." Sue wasn't exactly being a _bridezilla_, but she and Alice together were force to be reckoned with.

He laughed and nodded. "It's been ages since we've been here together. Do you remember the last time we came?" he asked with curiosity in his eyes. Then he remembered and corrected himself before I could answer, "I'm sorry, I forgot. How much can you remember?" It was as if he was still seeing me as his human daughter.

"It's okay, Dad," I reassured him with a smile. "I can still remember most of my human life, but it does get blurry the farther back I try to go. But if my memory serves, I think the last time was my last summer here before I stopped coming altogether. I am sorry about that, Dad. I should've spent more time with you than just those two weeks each summer. I shouldn't have stopped coming." That was the truth, I did wish I came more often now, but I can't change the past. And I didn't want to tell him either that even as a human, I could barely remember those summers, I didn't want to remember them then.

"I know why you did it, Bells. I understand," he nodded the studied his lap for a minute, thinking. "I wasn't blind, I knew you weren't having much fun, even when hanging out with Jacob and his sisters, But it was the only thing I knew to do to get out of the house, it's still the only thing I do when I get out aside from going to work; fishing with Billy," he laughed to himself.

Then he turned to me and continued as if he knew that I couldn't remember, "You were fourteen when you stopped coming up to visit. We went fishing like always, or at least I went with Billy. I left you to play with Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca. I tried taking you with me a few times, but you wouldn't have it," he chuckled to himself again. I studied his face as he spoke, trying to bring up those long-forgotten memories. I knew he just wanted to talk, so I listened patiently. "You were always so very independent, always wanted to do your own thing; I think you got that from Renee. You always kept to yourself, kept quiet, wouldn't talk to anyone you didn't know unless spoken to first, like me. Even with the Black kids, you were like that, especially with Rachel and Rebecca. But with Jake you opened up a little bit more to. I noticed that more your senior year also," he cringed as he remembered that dark time, so did I a little bit but shook it off. That time was over now. "Your friendship with him because stronger than it did when you were kids. I'm sure that's because of what he is now though?" He formed that last statement as a question, but he was right. At the time, Jake was the only one I could be completely honest with about what was really going on, the only one who knew everything.

"I remember that, Dad," I told him with a small smile and nod. He smiled sadly back. "But thanks for letting me know what you saw. And I'm glad we're still able to come here again. We have Jake to thank for that as well. These are good memories to keep, and I will remember them always now." His face lit up and he nodded in agreement, knowing what I meant.

"To be honest, coming here while growing up, I was always miserable," I told him. It was my turn to tell him, reassure him that it wasn't his fault I stopped coming. "I hated it because it was so wet and cold, mostly because it was wet though. That's what I hated the most. It was never because I was bored of hanging around you, please know that, Dad." I took his hand in mine as I spoke. He nodded. "I think growing up mostly with mom in Phoenix; I learned to love the sun and heat. That was the downside to coming back when I did, living with the rain with very little sun even during the summers. But it wasn't as if the sun was doing anything for me anyway though in Phoenix, I always considered myself part albino because I'd always stay white and never tan. Nothing's changed now, and I couldn't be happier," I chuckled. Charlie smiled, shaking his head at my words. I was trying to lighten the mood because I could tell he was a little tense about our conversation and this part of our past. "I'm actually learning to love to rain; really, I actually learned to love it the moment I met Edward, when I knew he was a vampire. I figured out it was the only time I could see him, when he was around at school. When the sun I used to love so much came out, he wasn't there and I was lonely and cold."

"Thanks, Bella," my father said, squeezing my hand in his. "This means so much for me to hear right now. I'm glad we could pass this on to Renesmee as well, too. It looks like she's having so much fun."

"Of course she is," I smiled as we watched Renesmee and Edward play. I knew he could hear us talking, and most likely Renesmee could too, but they were trying to give up as much privacy as possible. "Now that she can be herself around you without worrying about slipping up, it'll make everything a whole lot easier."

Charlie nodded and we sat watching Edward swing her around in the air and splash in the water, giggling and laughing. "I'm glad I know now, too. But I have another question." I nodded for him to continue, I had a feeling I knew what he was about to ask. "You mentioned the sun. That Edward wouldn't be there when the sun came out. What happens? Because Alice mentioned the sun could come out today, that's why we needed to come here for privacy, away from the other people." He looked to me with worry in his eyes. We haven't explained this part to him yet.

I chuckled as smiled at him to ease his worry; he was most likely thinking about Dracula and those vampire tales. "It's nothing to worry about, Dad. Nothing bad happens. We don't burn in the sunlight, holy water and rosaries have no effect on us either. You may remember seeing the huge wooden cross hanging on the hallway at the house; that would be Carlisle's father's hand-carved cross. Wooden stakes would only shatter if the make contact would our skin. About the only thing that is the same from those myths you know is that our skin is cold to the touch, and our speed. And we, of course, drink blood. When it comes to the sun though, you'll have to see it to believe it, like I did when Edward first showed me."

"Wow, I never would've thought all of that wasn't real. It all seems so believable," he replied, shaking his head. "But of course, most of that was Hollywood's version of it all too, right? Is that what you would call the 'human story'?"

"Yes it is, Dad," I nodded. "You're right, it's what the humans would easily believe to make them think they have the upper hand in trying to kill us; that we live in fear of them. When in reality, it's quite the opposite."

Just then Edward came back to us, carrying a soaking wet Renesmee. She had her head on his should as if she was tired, but I knew she was getting thirsty with all that running around.

"Sorry to interrupt, but she's getting thirsty and wanted her mother to take her hunting really quick," Edward said, handing her over to me with his crooked grin on his face.

"Please, Mommy," she pleaded. Her big brown eyes staring back at me. "Hunt with me?"

"Sure, baby girl," I said, kissing her forehead. "We'll be right back, let you two catch up as well." Edward gave me a quick kiss and took my seat next to Charlie.

The hunt was quick. We didn't go too far, and this time she didn't need to play her game like she normally did with Jake in order for her to drink the blood. We each had one deer before heading back. I could tell she was starting to miss Jake though, too. Normally right now she'd be begging to suck on his finger instead, saying it tasted better. That would be her normal mid-morning snack along with a little bit of human food.

As we got back to Charlie and Edward, I could only hear one side of the conversation, sounding as if Edward would be talking on the phone. I smiled to myself knowing that Charlie must be used to Edward being able to read his mind, even though it's not all the time.

_Is this a private conversation? We could play some more and let you two finish_, I thought to my husband when we were close enough to see them.

Edward froze for a second in surprise, and then shook his head, chuckling. "They're back," he said as Renesmee and I emerged from behind them. Renesmee ran up to her father and climbed onto his lap.

"Did Renesmee let you know that?" Charlie asked, smiling at her.

"Bella did actually," Edward responded as I sat on the other side of my father, catching Charlie off guard again. "She's able to pull her shield back and let me hear her thoughts when she wants to talk to me privately, which is really rare to get in our family."

"Well Emmett wasn't kidding then, was he?" Charlie asked, shocked. He only knew I was a shield, a very powerful shield, and saw a tiny bit of what I could do for himself, never knowing I could make that all go away as well. We all nodded as he shook his head, still shocked.

"Papa, come play with me some more," Renesmee bagged bringing him out of his thoughts. "Please?" She got off Edward's lap and took Charlie's hand.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Of course, sweet pea. Anything you want, you got it. That's why I'm your grandpa," he said as he picked her up, swinging her around in the air as she giggled, thoroughly enjoying the attention.

"She's incredibly happy now, not having to hide from him anymore," Edward told me, wrapping his arms around mw from behind as we watched them play. She was showing him different sea shells she could find, occasionally taking his hand to show him a memory. He stiffened a little bit when she did that, but soon relaxed when he realized what was happening.

"He is as well, knowing for sure why she's so different now," I said as we started walking down the beach together.

"Yes, he is. And knowing why we are so different, too, particularly you," Edward agreed, squeezing my hand for emphasis. From the beginning, she's always wondered why and how I changed, even with understanding the need to know basis, always guessing. Edward must've read the look in my eyes, he quickly answered my thoughts, "He came close a few times, when he really thought about what we could be, but he never would've guessed vampire, leaving that as the very last option."

As we continued walking, we heard a soft "wow" from behind us. Turning around, we saw Charlie's jaw dropped open, his body frozen as he held a giggling Renesmee in his arms. He was staring at us. Edward started laughing as I quickly looked at the two of us, and what could possibly bring that reaction form my father. Our hands and Edward's face was glittering like diamonds, the sun had finally come out. I smiled and started laughing as well.

"This is what happens in the sun, Charlie," Edward explained, catching his breath before I could. "This is why we can't show ourselves in the sunlight. Our skin reflects the sun's rays as if we sparkle or glitter. This is also why it's easier to see it to believe it instead of just hearing about it."

My father nodded at Edward's words while staring at me. "Bells, you're beautiful," he breathed. Then he turned to Renesmee in his arms, as if expecting her to be the same. "But…" he started. He could only see a slight glow to her skin.

"Renesmee's skin is strong like a vampire, but looks and feels more like a human." Charlie nodded that he understood.

"Still just as beautiful," he said to her, kissing her forehead. I could see moisture forming in his eyes, threatening to break though.

She gave him a big smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Papa!"

"Are you sure you're alright, Dad?" I asked as one tear leaked out.

"Sure, sure, honey, I'm fine," he replied shaking his head. "I just didn't expect this. It just makes it that much more real. Even now that I know, I still see you as my human daughter. But, you know, as a parent, our greatest fear is the possibility of outliving our children. I guess it just hit me that I don't have to worry about that anymore, because that will never happen."

"I know what you mean, Dad," I said, coming up to wrap my arms around him and my daughter. "We had that same fear when Renesmee was born, not knowing what would happen to her, scared because she was growing so fast and not knowing if she would ever stop. I didn't want to lose my baby, and I'm relieved that I won't have to. You won't lose me either, I will always be here for you, even when we have to eventually move. I love you, Dad. And I'm really happy you have found someone you can spend the rest of your life with, to watch your granddaughter grow up with."

"I love you, too, Bells. Thank you," Charlie breathed, kissing both Renesmee's cheek and mine.

We spent the rest of the day playing together along to beach, taking breaks for lunch and dinner for Charlie and Renesmee with food both Sue and Esme packed for them. Renesmee ended up soaked from head to toe in the water, with Edward close behind her as he chased her in the cold ocean, Charlie and I both rolling up our pants to our knees, chasing the small waves hitting the rocky sand. Even though I knew the water was freezing cold, Charlie didn't seem to care as much, though he only went in to his ankles then jumping back out. I could hear his heart pounding with excitement as we laughed and played.

We stayed to watch the sunset, which was beautiful with little puffy clouds on the horizon forming rays of sun to shine through. Renesmee fell asleep on Charlie's shoulder as we walked back to the car to head home. She loved her Papa. I quietly took one of her hands and placed in on his cheek. I would do this as I watched her sleep at home, curious to see what she was dreaming. Charlie smiled as he watched her dream, kissing her forehead again. I took her other hand, and could see she was dreaming about the beach and playing with her Papa, and seeing us all in the sunlight. This day had turned out to be one of her favorites, and mine too.

When we returned home, Alice had taken over again and the wedding plans were back in full swing as everything was winding down for the big day.

The morning that day finally arrived, we girls were all getting ready at the main house, while the boys were at Charlie's house. They would be arriving at the church before us, Charlie waiting at the altar while the guest came in and sat down. Alice had made sure that each of us Cullens, the boys too, would be wearing just enough makeup to make us look at least a year older since we haven't changed since most of the guest had seen us last.

As Leah and I changed in Edward's old room, Leah decided to confront me. "Bella," she began, "you know how I feel about vampires and you and your family. To be quite honest, I never really liked you when we were both human. I'm only here to watch over my brother, who has taken a liking to your family, particularly with Edward. And also to get away from Sam, so being a part of Jacob's Pack is my only option until I stop phasing."

I stood there and just listened, watching her as she spoke. She didn't look threatening as she normally did when around us, though I did know her strong hatred for me and my family because of what she became. Her eyes were downcast as she finished.

"I understand, Leah," I replied, attempting to calm her.

"Now that my mother is marrying Charlie, they are expecting us to be sisters." I nodded. "Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I don't like it, for sure, but there's nothing I can do about it because it seems I'm the only one who feels that way."

"Leah, I know how you feel, how you've felt about me even as a human," I told her. I knew her temper could flare at any moment as I tried consoling her. "We don't have to be sisters, or even friends, right away. I know that will take time, a lot of time, which we have. And I'm okay with that. But besides that, please know that I'm grateful for everything you have done and sacrificed for my family, my daughter, and me. You didn't have to – no matter what Jake, or Sam, says."

She nodded with a smirk. "Well, it doesn't seem like we don't have a choice in the sister-department, but I think just keeping it like we've always been, whatever that was, works for me."

"Girls, are you done in there yet?" Alice interrupted through the door. I knew she could hear us talking, but we did have a time limit.

"Coming, Alice," I called as we both chuckled at her persistence. Slipping the dresses on, we headed to Alice's bedroom where Alice and Rose were waiting to do our hair and makeup. Sue was already there getting her hair done by Esme before putting her dress on, who both smiled at us as we walked in. Renesmee was twirling around in her princess dress, her beautiful curls flying around her head.

"Alice, you amaze me," Sue whispered, smiling at Alice as she pulled a curling iron through my hair. "You girls look beautiful."

We both had a floor-length taffeta dress with an A-line style, and a scoop neck-line. Since the wedding colors were gold and royal blue, Leah's dress was gold, and mine was the royal blue. Renesmee's dress was a white princess, tea-length, satin tulle dress with a royal blue flower at the waist and gold flower petals floating along the bottom. All of our shoes were the same: pointed toes with straps around the ankles and small 2-inch heels, they were died to match Leah and my dress colors. Renesmee had on white shoes that looked almost the same to ours but with a smaller heel.

"Thanks, Mom," Leah blushed.

"Momma, Auntie Leah, you're so pretty," Renesmee called out, coming up in front of us, grinning.

Leah growled under her breath so Sue couldn't hear her, muttering, "That'll be hard to get used to." While she put on a smile for the compliment.

"Thanks, baby girl," I said while giving Leah a look that said I'd talk to her about the title. She nodded slightly to me while Rose worked on her hair.

When Sue's hair and makeup was done, Esme took her to help her in the dress. When she came back, tears were forming in her eyes; her heart was pounding slightly with joy. It's a good thing Alice always insisted in using waterproof makeup, even though we didn't need the extra protection as vampires. She hadn't seen the dress before now, only in a picture before Alice ordered it, but not even knowing exactly which one Alice had ordered.

Her dress was a white chiffon dress that had a sheath/empire waist look, scoop neck-line and short sleeves. It gently brushed the floor with a small train in the back. It looked gorgeous on her.

"This dress is simply amazing, Alice," Sue cried. "Thank you so much. I could never have done all of this without you."

"It was no problem, Sue, I promise you," Alice told her, smiling as Sue surveyed herself in the huge mirror. Everything was just perfect, just as she knew it would be.

When Esme put the tiara on, it made everything that much better and a new wave of tears overtook Sue. Leah was speechless with tears welling up in her eyes as well, though she tried her best to hide it. The tiara was a small diamond studded piece that made it look like tiny flowers.

"Nana, you're so pretty, too," Renesmee said, wide-eyed as she looked at her grandmother. "Papa Charlie will love it, too."

We all smiled at her words, she was absolutely right and I couldn't help but thinking that my father was the luckiest man in the world to be marrying Sue; as well as Harry, her first husband.

"Thanks, sweat pea," she replied with a sweet smile, bending down to give Renesmee a hug. "I know he will."

Before we left the house for the church, Alice pulled me aside, the light in her eyes slightly darkened. "Bella, something's wrong," she whispered low enough for only me to hear as she pulled me to the kitchen. Her expression and actions told me she'd had a vision.

"What? What is it? The wedding?" I asked, my mind frantically running through all the possibilities that could happen, coming up short.

"No, the wedding's fine. But we're going to have a problem later," she said, shaking her head. "We're going to have some unwanted visitors. The problem is, I can't see exactly when, they haven't decided yet. I just know they're coming."

I knew instantly who she was talking about. The Volturi were coming back. "How many, Alice? Can you see that?" Aro was smart; he knew how Alice's visions worked now, and how to get around them if he really wanted to.

She closed her eyes again, concentrating on the vision. "Aro's curious again," she whispered, her eyes still closed. "He's traveling with his normal hunting party, the same ones that came for Victoria's newborns; Jane, Alec, Demitri and Felix. But he's also brought Renata, his normal body guard."

"Where are they now," I asked. I knew I could easily deal with the guard members using my shield, but I didn't know yet if I could do anything against Renata. We also needed to keep everyone safe, and if they showed up today, that would be a problem.

"They're traveling through Oregon right now, headed this direction," she answered, her voice low still not wanting to alert the others. "Aro never made a decision to come here until now, that's why I haven't seen anything. They're so close, he was hoping for a surprise visit, catching us off guard. I think they might be expecting that still, but with the Pack here, I can't tell for sure what he's wanting with us this time."

"Do you know when they might be arriving; where we'll be?" I asked.

She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly in the process to clear her thoughts, "They'll come here first, I'm positive of that; they would expect us to be home, or at least close by. They'll check if we're here, and if we're not then Demitri will track us. I can't tell when." I nodded. If we were still in La Push, that would be a huge problem, not necessarily for us, but for them because of the Pack. No vampires, aside from my family, are allowed on the Rez, no exceptions. I don't know how I felt about that, part of me hoped they would come then, but then again, not today of all days, my father's wedding with most of Forks attending.

"Thanks, Alice," I replied, wrapping my arms around her to comfort her. In all honesty, I was frightened. Coming today, even if they come here during our own celebrations, they're going to know that some humans do know about us. It wouldn't matter if they're Quileute and have their own secrets to keep. And I don't know what Aro would do about that, especially with Charlie knowing now, too.

That's when I made a decision of my own; one I was already forming as soon as Alice told me they were coming. "I have a plan," I whispered to her.

"I think it'll work, either way," she nodded as she saw it in her head.

"We just have to make sure everyone is safe for when they do come," I said, thinking out loud. "We need to tell Edward and Carlisle at least, they need to be under my shield with me to talk to Aro, see what he wants. I'm almost positive this isn't a social call given there's no notice and his choice in protection."

"You're right," she agreed. "You're the only one who could hold them back. Have I ever told you I'm so glad you're here, that you're a shield, and that you're the best sister ever?" she laughed. I shook my head and laughed with her as we headed for the door.

Sue, Leah and Renesmee were waiting for me at the Volvo, while Esme and Rose were waiting at Rose's BMW, looks of confusion evident on their faces. They were going ahead of us to get everyone set up to go for when we got to the church.

When we got to the church twenty minutes later – per Alice's request – Alice met us outside with Jake, Edward and Seth to escort us down the aisle. Esme had already been seated and Rose was ready and waiting at the piano. Charlie waited with the pastor already at the altar, anxious to see a glimpse of his soon-to-be bride. I could hear his heartbeat pick up with anticipation over everyone else's in the church.

Our boys all had big grins on their faces as we stepped out of the car, each opening the door for us. As Edward helped me out, he gave me a sweet kiss before leading us all up to the door of the church. They each had on black tuxedos, but with gold and blue vests and ties corresponding with their partner. Edward wore the royal blue vest and tie to match me, while Seth wore the gold to match Leah's dress, and Jake had on a royal blue vest and gold tie to go with Renesmee's blue flower and gold petals.

"You look stunning, love," Edward whispered in my ear when we reached the door. I smiled back at him, unable to form words. I knew that if I could blush, I would have at his words. "Alice told me what she saw. But know that nothing can ruin this day for any of us."

I knew he was right, and I knew there was nothing to worry about, but I quickly threw out my flexible shield just in case.

As Rose started playing Pachelbel's Canon in D, Alice handed Renesmee her basket of flower petals and directed Jake to escort her slowly down the aisle as she gently sprinkled the blue and gold colored petals along their way, the rings safely inside Jake's pocket.

I could see my father at the altar, wearing a while tuxedo, his 'monkey-suit' as he would call it, with a gold vest and royal blue tie. He looked very handsome and happy, though his face couldn't give away his nerves. He sighed with relief and smiled as he watched his granddaughter walking towards him, and it grew bigger when he saw me behind her. Edward took my arm, when directed by Alice as she handed me my golden-rose bouquet, walking slowly up the aisle behind our daughter and best friend.

When we reached the altar, Edward kissed my cheek before going to stand next to Jake, and I gave my father a warm hug, telling him how much I loved him and how happy I was this day finally came. Renesmee took my hand when I reached her, smiling up at me as she replayed us walking up.

As I looked back over the audience, I could see most of the Pack as well as their imprints, as well as the guys Charlie works with at the station and their families, and some other people I could barely remember from Forks that knew my father. The church was small, so there wasn't a lot of room for guests to watch the ceremony, which was totally fine with Sue and Charlie. The rest of the guests who wanted to congratulate the couple would meet us all at the Community Center for the reception afterwards.

When Leah got up to the alter by herself, carrying a royal blue bouquet, she also gave Charlie a quick hug, then stood beside me, moisture forming in her eyes already that she was trying hard to push back.

Rose gracefully transitioned into playing Wagner's Bridal Chorus as the pastor motioned for everyone to stand. The doors had been closed behind Leah so that Sue could prepare to walk up the aisle, escorted by Seth. When everyone was standing, the doors opened to reveal Sue and Seth on the other side, both grinning happily as they started their walk.

I watched my father. His face shown with love when he finally saw her, his jaw dropped, heart raced. He was anxious for her to be by his side, subtly leaning on one foot, then the other in an effort to stay put and wait for her to come to him.

When they finally reach the altar, Rose faded the song to a close and Charlie stepped forward to meet them as the pastor asked, "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"We do," both Leah and Seth answered proudly together. Then Seth placed Sues hand in Charlie's, kissing her on the cheek, and then took his place as the best man.

When Charlie and Sue turned toward each other after quickly handing her own bouquet off to Leah, the pastor began, addressing everyone, "Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today in the sight of God, family and friends to witness and celebrate the union of this woman, Sue Clearwater, and this man, Charlie Swan in holy matrimony." Then he focused on the couple before him as he continued, "Today you entered here as individuals, but you will leave here as husband and wife, blending your lives, expanding your family ties, and embarking upon the greatest adventure of human interaction. The union of two people makes us aware of the changes wrought by time. But this new relationship will continue to draw much of its beauty and meaning from the intimate associations of your pasts. Because of that, the story of your life together in still yours to write. All those present have come to witness and celebrate your love and commitment this day – eager to be a part of the story not yet told.

"Charlie and Sue, the time has come to forget all the stress of planning this day, and simply enjoy your friends and family who have gathered to spend this day with you. This group of loved ones with, likely, never be together in the same place again. Through quiet reflection and nostalgia, think about how each person has touched your life and why they are here with you today.

"Now, Charlie's son-in-law, Edward, has prepared a special song just for you on the piano," the pastor said as Edward took Rose's place at the piano and began to play. He had been working on composing something special for them, like he did with Esme, Renesmee, and me, as a surprise. Sue teared up even more as Edward played the beautiful melody, and my father put his arms around her shoulders, fighting off the tears himself. I lifted Renesmee up onto my hip so she could watch, resting her head on my shoulder, tears of her own wetting her cheeks. The whole audience grew silent in awe as they watch him play, the humans never hearing him perform before.

They were still silent as he finished, retaking his place between Seth and Jake after he received hugs of thanks from both Charlie and Sue with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Edward," the pastor said. Edward nodded as Sue quickly dried her eyes with Charlie's hanker-chief Alice specifically place in his pocket, seeing this reaction.

"Now, it's time for the vows," the pastor started again. Turning toward my father, he asked, "Do you, Charlie, take Sue, to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, to support and honor her in successes as well as failures, and through joy and sorrow, to care for her through sickness and health, to nurture her, and to grow with her throughout the seasons of your life together?"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, and clearing his throat quickly, my father proclaimed in a rough choke, "I do." He smiled sheepishly realizing that even clearing his throat didn't help, as Sue giggled.

Then the pastor turned to Sue. He asked again, "Do you, Sue, take Charlie, to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, to support and honor him in successes as well as failures, and through joy and sorrow, to care for him through sickness and health, to nurture him, and to grow with him throughout the seasons of your life together?"

"I do," she happily replied through a proud smile.

"Can I have the rings, please?" the pastor then asked, turning toward Jake as he stepped around Edward and Seth, fishing the rings out of his pocket and handed them to the pastor. I could see the curiosity and surprise in his eyes at the unusual warmth of the tiny gold bands, but he quickly brushed it off and turned back to Charlie and Sue.

"Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in you uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder and delight. May these rings remind you of the vows you have taken here today."

Handing Charlie Sue's ring, he instructed, "Please, place this ring on her finger."

My father took Sue's left hand, and while sliding the ring smoothly on her finger, he said, "Through this ring, I accept you as my wife, now and for all time."

Sue teared up again, sniffling as the pastor hands her Charlie's ring, instructing again, "Please, place this ring on his finger."

She nodded, taking my father's left hand and sliding the ring easily in place, saying, "Through this ring, I accept you as my husband, now and for all time."

"And now, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Charlie, you may now kiss your bride," the pastor proclaimed with a smile.

Eruptions of applause come from the audience when my father gently and happily placed his hands over Sue's cheeks, wiping his thumbs under her eyes to wipe the tears away, and whispering "I love you" before kissing her. A few cat-calls come from Emmett, Jasper and the Pack before they broke apart from the simple kiss, smiling brightly in each other's eyes. Carlisle, Rose and Esme glare at Emmett and Jasper, but they simply shrugged in return.

Taking Sue's hand, ignoring my brothers, Charlie turned them toward the guests as the pastor called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, may I be the first to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Swan."

Rose started playing Mendelssohn's Wedding March as everyone called out and cheered as Charlie and Sue made their way back down the aisle toward a smiling Alice who had the doors open for them.

Seth and Leah linked arms and walked down the aisle together, following their mother and new step-father over to the Community Center for the reception.

As I set Renesmee down again so she could walk with Jake, kissing the top of her head, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and guided me down the aisle as well. I was dry-sobbing with happiness at the beautiful ceremony, wishing I could cry real tears of joy, and remembering my own wedding not too long ago and everything that followed because of that day; the creation and birth of our daughter, and the closer relationship I now have with my father, too.

When we reached the doors, Edward stopped and pulled me aside to wait for Jake and Renesmee.

"Are you okay, love?" Edward asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I nodded, "I'm fine. More than fine, actually. I was just wishing I could actually cry; I'm so happy for Charlie and Sue right now. I just hope the rest of the day goes just as perfectly."

"It was a very beautiful ceremony," he said, kissing my forehead. "Alice hasn't seen anything new yet besides that they are in Washington now. Where, she doesn't know for sure."

I nodded when Jake and Renesmee emerged; he was carrying her in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck as tears of joy I wish I could cry flowed down her cheeks, the flower basket flopping against his back as he walked.

As soon as we entered the building, I threw my protective shield out again just in case, covering everyone and keeping all of them safe inside. The reception was absolutely beautiful; Alice had left nothing out. The tables placed around a center dance floor were clothed in white with a lit long white candle surrounded by various gold and blue flowers, each unique in their own way. The chairs were decorated with blue or gold ribbons, each strategically placed around the tables. The cake was a three-tiered chocolate cake with white frosting, also decorated with blue and gold flowers; a beautiful bride and groom figurine danced on top, looking just like Charlie and Sue. From the ceiling, gold and blue streamers were hung intertwined with white lights, giving off a beautiful evening glow in the middle of the day.

Small trays of food were placed on the tables for the humans to snack on and those tears of joy were quickly turned to happy laughter that filled the room.

Everyone from Forks was there, including the major town gossipers and their families. And thanks to Alice's planning with the make-up, making us all look a little older, there wasn't much to talk about concerning our family.

I could see Jessica and Mike huddled around one of the tables with Lauren, Tyler and Erik. They were keeping to themselves mostly while their mothers went about their business of getting gossip information, all of them having known my father all their lives. Neither of them dared to approach us, Jessica and Lauren shot glares to Edward and I while the boys were a little more talkative but still kept their distance, Mike and Tyler especially. I couldn't help but chuckle at them when Edward would growl softly at their thoughts with his possessive nature, and having Renesmee around now made it worse to a degree, although Jake had her covered in the jealousy department as well. I shook my head at both my guys.

Time flew by in an instant, even for vampire standards. It wasn't long before the cake was cut and the first dance had begun. Watching my father and new step-mother sway to the music was beautiful, neither of them really knowing how to dance. Edward had his arms wrapped around me as we watched them, swaying in our spot as well, caught up in the moment when the song ended.

Charlie walked up to us, tapping Edward on the shoulder, asking if he could interrupt. I could tell he was nervous and slightly embarrassed to bother us, but Edward quickly let go of me with a smile and nodded as he kissed my temple, watching me follow my father to the dance floor while Seth and Sue danced together.

"You look beautiful today, Bells," he spoke as we swayed together, not bothering to move much besides in a slow circle, staying in one spot, though I knew if I wanted to really dance with him, I could. "Thank you for today. I couldn't ask for a more perfect wedding."

I chuckled. It was perfect. "No problem, Dad."

"Are you sure that pastor doesn't know he wasn't surrounded by humans?" he whispered in my ear so no one could overhear us as more people joined us on the floor. "He sure seemed to know who he was talking to," he mused.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. I could see Edward smirk out of the corner of my eye as well as he danced with our daughter. "He did, didn't he?" I replied, chuckling. "No, he doesn't know. But everything he said was perfect and right. I think it may have added to the enormity of what this means for us all. I also think Alice had it all planned that way, too."

He nodded; smiling, knowing Alice had planned this whole day with help from Sue.

Before long, Renesmee had taken my place with Charlie and I was dancing with Edward again, this time Edward leading me around the floor, circling the humans.

As the dancing continued, I had danced with Emmett, Jasper, Seth, Carlisle and Jake. Even Quil and Embry had joined in, dancing with us all too.

"Now this is more like it," Jake stated when we danced together.

"What are you talking about, Jake?" I asked as we twirled around the floor.

"This is the way we should've danced at your wedding," he explained in a low voice. "As friends instead of hiding in the forest, like a coward." The memory flooded back in my head as he spoke; a surprise visit from my best friend, whom I was missing and never thought I would see again, that ended in a disaster because of his temper over our choice of topic. "I'm sorry I ruined it for you," he whispered, watching my face as the memory flashed over my eyes.

"That wasn't your fault, you know," I said, looking in his eyes, willing him to understand. "You just wanted to surprise me, and protect me. And it doesn't matter what happened, I am glad you came for those two dances. It made everything better knowing that you came back."

"Thanks, Bells," he smiled, dipping me as the song ended, giving a kiss to my cheek before pulling me back up. The song changed to an upbeat song, and Embry and Quil quickly joined us.

When I left the boys to their dancing, I joined Edward at our table with our siblings, watching Renesmee dance with Carlisle and Esme on the dance floor, giggling and laughing with them as they swung her around.

It was a surprise to see Angela and Ben with their new baby. They gave hugs to Charlie and Sue as they made their way to our table, carrying their little daughter. She was beautiful, as all babies are; a perfect blend of her parents.

"Hey guys," Angela said, bouncing her baby in her arms, Ben behind her with the diaper bag and his own proud smile. "I want you to meet our daughter, Isabella Ann." I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at the name. They had asked us on Thanksgiving if they could name their baby after either Edward or I, not knowing at the time what they were having.

"She's so beautiful, Ang," I exclaimed. "Congrats, guys. You'll both be wonderful parents."

"Thanks, Bella," Ben answered as the baby cooed and reached out for the crowd still on the dance floor. We all laughed as she giggled when Ben reached up and tickled her, taking her from her mother.

"The name fits," Edward said as she played with his finger in her father's arms, not bothered by his cold touch. "Thank you, guys."

"No problem, and thanks again for everything," Angela said as Ben started heading toward the dance floor with his daughter. "We'd better be going soon anyway. It was good to see you again, all of you."

"Bye, Angela," I said giving her one last hug, knowing this would be the last time we all saw them.

Soon it was time for Sue to throw her bouquet before everyone left. We all gathered around and watched as she turned her back to the crowd of single girls gathered on the dance floor, Renesmee eagerly bouncing in the front, and she gently tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. Turning quickly to watch as it landed right in the arms of my daughter, some of the other girls helping her catch it. Everyone cheered for her as she ran up and gave Sue a hug and kiss then came running over to Edward and I with a huge smile on her face, all but Charlie who groaned knowing what this little act symbolized, and knowing one day very soon, that she will be the next one in our family to marry.

After Sue tossed her bouquet, a chair was placed in the center of the floor for Charlie to take Sue's garter off. Blushing, he made quick work of it, and motioned for all the single boys to gather around. The Pack took up most of the room, Jake included, while the human boys hung back, seemingly intimidated by the group.

Turning his back to them so he couldn't see where it went, I watched as my father positioned it over his shoulder and slung it out to the waiting boys, all of them making it look as though they wanted it. But as soon as it was in the air, all of the boys ducked as Jake quickly caught it; Charlie turned just in time to see what had happened. Shaking his head, he turned to a chuckling Sue as Renesmee ran up to Jake and danced one more song with him.

As most of the humans said their good byes and congratulations to the newlyweds, Rose and Alice took off for the house to finish setting up for our own celebration. After watching Charlie and Sue being escorted away in Carlisle's Mercedes, we quickly followed – being shooed out by the remaining humans so they could clean up.

When everyone arrived at the house, I quickly threw out my shield again, expanding it out into the first several layers of trees all the way around the house, hardening it knowing that this would be when the Volturi finally came.

The Elders, the entire Pack, and their imprints were here with us again to celebrate our own reception and the first union of our two families. Emily had a camera out, ready to take the pictures of the wedding party and families gathered around. It was a blast, taking both serious and goofy pictures with the Pack in our dresses and tuxedoes; no one bothering to change out of them until the happy couple was off on their honeymoon.

When the pictures were done, we all gathered, as much as we could, in the living room. The couches were all moved against the wall, leaving more room for everyone to sit on the floor, which the boys had done, or to stand, which we were more than comfortable doing. Billy's chair was placed beside one of the couches, while Old Quil, Charlie and Sue sat beside him, Carlisle and Esme taking the other one as the leaders from both sides.

When Rose and Alice finished passing around the glasses of sparkling cider, giving one to each of us as well though we wouldn't be drinking it, Carlisle stood, held out his glass and turned toward Charlie and Sue as he began, "I'd like to start out this evening with a toast.

"Charlie, you have been a wonderful friend to us since we've moved here, without knowing our secret or pre-judging us. And I thank you for that. As the Chief of Police, you have been a wonderful host to this beautiful community; that's one of the many reasons this is our favorite home, and not just because of what we are, but also because of who we choose to be as people in the community.

"With the joining of your daughter and our son, you have been accepted into this family, and even more so now with our granddaughter. But now we say welcome again to both you and now your wife.

"Sue, we have known you for only a short time, and even though in the beginning we were considered enemies, I am happy that we have been able to move past that and get to know you and your family better. We are all a family, never a coven, and we are proud to welcome you and your family in as well. So welcome."

Then he turned toward my new step-brother and sister, "Seth and Leah, I have to include you both in this as well. You both have given up so much to help us when we needed it, and we can't thank you enough for that. You are now a part of Bella's family, and therefore a part of ours as well."

"Here, here," everyone said as they all took a sip from their glasses and Carlisle sat back down.

"I can hear them," Edward whispered low in my ear as Billy was about to start speaking. "They're not happy they can't come any closer. Well done, love."

Just as he said that, I could feel six different forms run into my shield. They were at the back of the house, just after crossing the river through the first several lines of trees. Everyone turned to look at us, wondering what Edward was talking about; only Alice, Jake and Carlisle had known, not wanting to cause an alarm.

I caught Carlisle's eye and nodded, letting him know that our visitors were hear. He shot a look at Edward, which Edward nodded back, then motioned for Billy to continue. We would be letting them stay out there and wait for us to come to them; after all they were coming unannounced and therefore trespassing, and they needed to learn patience.

Billy looked at us warily then started speaking in a sure voice as if nothing had happened, raising his glass for another toast, "Today is a special day, the first of what's to come. Today we celebrate the union of not only our best friends and family members, but also the union of two groups that were once enemies but are now family. To Sue, who is not only an Elder and friend to our tribe, but also a mother of two wolves in our Pack. And to Charlie, who is not only the Chief of Police of Forks and a best friend to the Quileute people of La Push, but also a father and grandfather to vampires.

"I have known both of you for a long time now. We have all been through the good times, and the bad, together. And I couldn't be happier for the two of you. You have both been blessed with the love of family and friends forever."

As Billy finished, everyone called out, "Cheers" before finishing off their glasses. When the drinks were put away in the kitchen, everyone sprang quietly into action. Jake quickly let the Pack in on who was waiting outside. He told Seth, Quil, Embry and Sam to wait for his signal before going out the front door to phase and check the perimeter just in case they were needed, making sure that they had enough cover under my shield to do so. Then he told the other Pack members to wait inside and watch over the imprints, keeping them away from the windows. The scent of the humans would be drowned out by the scent of the wolves, so if Aro heard Billy's speech, he would only know about Charlie, Sue and Billy being there. Esme, Rose and Alice quickly led all of them upstairs to the bedrooms before coming down to stay in the dining room with Billy, Old Quil, Charlie, Sue and Renesmee, while Emmett, Jasper, Jake and I waited in the living room to find out what was going on outside. I didn't want to be seen yet, if at all, figuring the only reason Aro has to come back here now would be to see Renesmee and I.

When everyone was in place, Carlisle and Edward went out to meet Aro, Jake following behind to stand at the door. Staying out of sight, I could feel as two of the guard moved around my shield, trying to get a feel for how big the boundary is; I could only guess that it was Felix and Demitri. But once they saw the three emerge from the house, they retreated to where Aro stood again, waiting.

Seeing all of our connections, I could tell where everyone was. Carlisle and Edward had stopped in the middle of the yard, not making a move to welcome our guests.

"Aro, this is a surprise," Carlisle began, speaking as though he was truly shocked to see his old friend, and just loud enough for everyone to hear, even the humans.

"Greetings, my friend," Aro stated as politely as he could. I could hear the frustration in his voice that he wasn't being properly welcomed to our home, that he was being blocked from going any further. "Yes, well, we were in the neighborhood and thought we would stop by and see how you and your _family_ are doing." He emphasized the word family, implying that he heard the speech that was given. "May we come inside and have a nice little chat, or have we come at a bad time?" I could tell he was feigning being polite; he had heard what Billy said, and he didn't like it at all.

"No, you may not," Edward answered, anger seeping through his words. I knew I was right. "And yes, actually, you have. Is there something we can help you with?"

I could feel Jane try to attack my husband through my shield at Edward's words. I chuckled under my breath, smirking darkly at no one in particular at her failed attempt.

"Well, I'm sorry then to have bothered you, but where is that beautiful wife of yours?" Aro asked Edward. "I was beginning to think she never left your side anymore after your last trip to see us in Volterra, young Edward. And how is that charming daughter of yours, growing up just as beautiful as ever, I imagine," he said in a thoughtful tone I didn't like, and by the growl I heard from the rest of my family, Jake and Edward especially, they didn't like it either. "But I am most curious as to why we were stopped here, and why you made us wait so long before coming out to greet us? Is this really how you treat old friends, Carlisle?"

Edward growled again as Carlisle answered for Edward, "They are both inside the house, Aro. There's no reason by granddaughter, or daughter for that matter, needs to be out here."

"Oh. Isn't that a pity; I was really hoping to see my little god-daughter again, after all our last meeting didn't go so well." Aro said in a menacing tone. "And you didn't answer my questions, Carlisle."

That was all it took for me, I couldn't stay hidden in the house anymore. In less than a second, I was through the door and crouched next to my husband, both of us holding the other back. "She is not, and never will be, your _god-daughter_, Aro." I seethed. "And be assured that I am doing everything I can to stay in this spot and not kill you myself and mail your body back to your brothers in pieces just for saying that; because I will." I watched as they all took a small step back in surprise to see me, and Aro quickly glanced at Jane and Alec with a look that said not to attack without permission, knowing that their powers were useless already, and now even more so because I was right in front of them. It was then that I instantly switched my shield to form around our group, trapping them inside. I was willing to take that chance, knowing that if they tried anything, I could stop it immediately.

"My apologies, I meant no disrespect," Aro said, turning his attention to my sudden appearance in the yard. "Bella, my dear, it's good to see you again. You both look breathtaking, and Bella I must say, you look stunning in that dress," he said, taking in my appearance and motioning toward Edward as well. We were both still wearing our wedding clothes. Edward growled at the title and Aro's compliments. I ignored them as Aro laughed to himself.

"I see your guard dogs are still around," Aro continued, motioning toward where Jake stood by the back door.

"They are our friends and family, here under their own will, Aro, or have you forgotten?" Carlisle spoke before Edward or Jake could answer.

"No, I haven't forgotten," Aro stated, clearly irritated again by our non-answers. "But it also seems you have humans here as well?" he stated, making it sound like a question, taking a sniff of the air and wrinkling his nose at the smell of the Pack.

"Of course we do," I answered, stating the obvious, purely to irritate him more; I wanted to have fun with them a little bit, now that I had the chance, seeing how fragile their bonds really were to each other. "What do you think we are, vampires who hide themselves in a creepy castle all the time like cowards, only coming out under the safety of night? Please. We don't invite and kill our friends and families like you do, Aro."

I could hear everyone chuckling in the house at my words; Edward and Carlisle both smirked at me, letting me know they approved my answer. Aro's eyes widened at my statement, but he quickly shook it off. "Clearly not…" he whispered almost to himself before I interrupted.

"This is my father's wedding, Aro," I told him, not wanting to waist any more time than necessary. "Now, if you don't mind hurrying this up so you can go back to that creepy castle you hide yourselves in and we can get back to the party, that would be great. Thanks." I was being sassy, and everyone knew it, but I didn't care, I was having fun.

"Well, my congratulations to you and your family," Aro said, taken aback by my words again. Then his face lit up in an evil grin as he continued, "But from what we heard before you came out to meet us, it seems as though you have some humans in there who know our secret. And you know the punishment for that, dearest Bella," he added sweetly just for me.

_So, this was the game he was going to play, huh?_ I thought to myself. Edward heard it in his thoughts, and crouched low again, ready to attack. But I heard it in his voice as well as saw it in his face: he was here to bring us back with him, to add us to his collection, and this was how he wanted to do it, by threatening my family. I could see a small string try to force its way from Aro to Edward and I in a desperate attempt to link us to him, failing miserably. But what he didn't know was that I now had the power to destroy them.

I smiled the sweetest smile I could, throwing them off again in my response, choosing to ignore his statement completely and make an observation of my own to prove my point. Putting my arm on my husband's shoulder, Edward and Carlisle both relaxed at my side as I addressed Aro again, "Well, Aro, it also seems that you've learned that you can't control us as you would so obviously like to, or you would've brought Chelsea here with you." I motioned around the small group he brought with him. Jane, Alec, Felix and Demitri, his normal guard, as well as another female I recognized as Renata who stood just behind him, her hand placed strategically on his shoulder. I could barely see a faint shield, giving a few feet of space in diameter, surrounding the two as she made an effort to protect him from whoever dared to come close, even from the rest of the guard.

"Ah, but you like to hide behind your own shield; never leaving without her are you?" I continued, not letting anyone speak, as I made my way up to them. From what I've heard of her shield, once anyone meets it, he or she immediately turns around and forgets why they were approaching them in the first place; it's clearly a mind illusion, telling that person's mind it didn't want to go that way, which I knew wouldn't work on me. And I highly doubted it would work against an attack of the mind like what Jane, Alec and I can do, given that Edward could still read her thoughts.

Walking straight past the shield, I stood in front of a shocked Renata and even more confused Aro, holding out my hand in greeting to her. "Hello, you must be Renata," I stated. She didn't shake my hand, but instead looked at it as if it was going to bite. I could tell the rest of the guard was watching me as well, not at all paying attention to the fact they could move in now, or that Edward and Carlisle's minds were exposed.

I took that distraction to my advantage as I lowered my hand back in a pout, addressing Aro again as I turned to walk back to my smirking husband and proud father-in-law. Glancing up to the house, I could faintly see my own father watching curiously out of the dining room window as he sat at the table, hoping that he wouldn't be too scared of me after witnessing this, since I told him before that this was something I never wanted him to see. "Well, it seems you don't teach your pets manners, Aro. That was rude. I was only trying to be nice." As I spoke, I connected very fine strings from myself to Renata, Jane, Alec, Felix and Demitri so that I could play with them a little bit. And shooting a look back over my shoulder to give Aro a playful smirk, I sent Renata to the ground, yelling in imaginary pain while Jane watched, confused. As soon as Aro figured out what was happening to her, knowing that her shield was now completely gone, he shot an accusatory look at Jane who quickly went blind. Knowing that she needs her sight in order for her power to work, his confusion grew to disbelief, wondering who could've done that knowing that Zafrina was the only one he knew of and Renata was still writhing on the ground as well, as he turned to his last remaining guard members. I quickly took away Alec and Felix's strings at the same time as Jane and they immediately started fighting against each other while Demitri froze as he lost all of his senses.

Aro started backing away in panic from the sudden mayhem I was causing beside him, but stopped when he came up against my shield again. Wheeling around confused to see what he hit, he turned back to us and watched me with wild eyes as I took my place between Carlisle and Edward, as my husband lovingly wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head in approval, and Carlisle wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulders, smiling. We could hear Emmett, Jasper and the whole Pack cheering from the house as they watched, and Jake laughing from the back door as he watched in amusement, happy that it wasn't him on the ground.

"It won't work, Aro," I stated, knowing that he figured out that this was all me. "We will never join you and I will not tolerate you threatening me or any of my family again."

"It can't be…" he whispered to himself as he quickly got control of himself. "Enough," he commanded at his guard. I quickly released them all, breaking the strings I had briefly created with each one of them and switching the shield back to cover the house, keeping them out again, not wanting to take any chances with a backlash from either Jane or Alec, which I expected Aro to give the order for now.

"What was that?" Felix spoke up once they all regained focus again. And immediately I felt Jane try to attack, angry she missed her chance due to her lapse in blindness, her read eyes gleaming in the light coming from the house. I could also see Alec's fog start to slowly spread in his own anger, hitting my shield and rebounding back to them before he realized what was happening and stopped it completely. That was not something I expected to see happen since it didn't do that with just my protective shield last year, but I liked it knowing that he couldn't even try anything now without putting them all in danger instead, leaving the false attempts up to his twin sister, who was quickly getting more and more irritated.

Aro watched in stunned silence at Alec's attempt, and seeing my shield blocking them again. "I don't know what you're talking about, Felix," I responded sweetly back to him, chuckling, before turning back to Aro, feigning innocence again and placing the blame on his guard. "But it seems as though you need to learn how to control your own pets before you come looking for more where you're not welcome, Aro. They are wildly out of control."

Aro opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted my Carlisle's request, "I think it's time for you to leave here now, Aro. And as my daughter has so eloquently pointed out, I would highly suggest you never threaten to break up or hurt anyone in our family. I would hate to see this happen again."

With that, Aro turned toward his frustrated guard members and ordered them back to Volterra. But as they disappeared through the trees, Aro turned around to address me one last time, "It seems as though you're powers have grown, dearest Bella. I'm very impressed with what you have become, and I'm glad Edward didn't kill you. Edward, you have done well in choosing her as your mate."

He was clearly determined to have the last word, but my husband quickly set him straight before he got too much further in the forest, not letting me speak this time, "Aro, just so you know, she chose me, I had nothing to do with it. And keep dreaming, this is one wish that will never come true." With that, they were gone. Seth, Embry, Quil and Sam come out of the trees in human form on either side from where the guard was standing just moments before while everyone else came out of the house. I pulled my shield back in, no longer needing it anymore.

"They're gone, and no one else came with them," Sam reported, as Renesmee ran up to me, beaming, still in her princess dress.

"Thanks, Sam," Jake said with a nod to his Pack brothers. "Bells, that was amazing. I mean I knew you could do all of that, but that was just sweet to see them cower in fear like that, especially Aro." They all joined him in laughter as Renesmee showed me a recap of what she saw. I have to admit, I would never get tired of reliving that moment through my daughter like that, even though I never wanted her to witness all that I could do until she was much older, it was still amazing to see it through a child's eyes. She was proud of me for standing up for her, for our family, and I couldn't be happier.

"Bella," I heard my father say as he came up to me, a strange look on his face; mixtures of pride, joy, utter confusion and nerves. But before I could say how sorry I was that he saw all of that, he continued, "Now, I know before, you told me you didn't want me to see all you could do now, and quite frankly I can't even wrap my brain around what all just happened out here. But I did hear what was said, and I'm not sure I want to know what that man meant by 'punishment' for us knowing what you are – even though I think I have a fairly good idea. I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you for standing up to them for us, and protecting your family."

"Thanks Dad," I replied amidst all of the 'here, here's' from everyone around us. At this moment I truly felt happy and free. And as we finally sent Charlie and Sue away on their honeymoon, I couldn't help but think how right this saying really is: 'The truth will set you free". Because it honestly has set me free, and because of that, I get to keep my father close and my daughter gets to grow up knowing her Papa Charlie and Nana Sue truly love her for who she really is.

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**AN: **So how was that for an ending to this chapter and the story? Charlie knows the truth about Bella, Renesmee and the Cullens, he and Sue are now husband and wife, and Aro has been put in his place by Bella (just so you all know, Bella took over and wrote all of that with Aro, wanting one last chance to use all of her powers at the same time, that was not me) and her awesome powers.

Special thanks go to: My first beta Somah, I couldn't have started uploading this story without you; my current beta and friend babakisses who has been a tremendous help while I was having trouble getting words to form on the pages of my notebook; and last but not least, to my amazing reviewers, you all have given me so much support and made me want to write more, and get the story out that much faster.

So, after almost two years of writing a story that I honestly did not expect to get this big, nor this long, it's finally time to hit the 'complete' button and let everyone enjoy this entire story.

It has been an incredibly fun ride, and I really hope you all will stick around as I continue to write a few other stories that have been forming in my head as well! I will be posting them when they are ready, so please add me to alerts. Thanks!

Now, scroll down a few more inches... see that big white box? Click in it and just start typing. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and of the whole story. I greatly appreciate hearing what you all think, and I will respond to every single review I get!


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